Post by SA Hunter on Jul 12, 2016 18:35:21 GMT 8
www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jul/12/what-does-the-south-china-sea-philippines-verdict-mean-for-you
An international tribunal has ruled chiefly in favour of the Philippines’ claim to disputed waters in the maritime area.
After centuries of dispute, China has lost its claim over contested maritime regions in the South China Sea after an international tribunal in The Hague chiefly backed in favour of the Philippines.
It is a decision that will increase global diplomatic pressure on Beijing to scale back military expansion in the sensitive area.
By depriving certain outcrops – some of which are exposed only at low tide – of territorial-generating status, the ruling effectively punches a series of holes in China’s all-encompassing “nine-dash” demarcation line that stretches deep into the South China Sea. It declares large areas of the sea to be neutral international waters.
Beijing claims 90% of the South China Sea, a maritime region believed to hold a wealth of untapped oil and gas reserves and through which roughly $4.5tn of ship-borne trade passes every year. Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan also contest China’s claims to islands and reef systems close to their territory than Beijing’s.
An international tribunal has ruled chiefly in favour of the Philippines’ claim to disputed waters in the maritime area.
After centuries of dispute, China has lost its claim over contested maritime regions in the South China Sea after an international tribunal in The Hague chiefly backed in favour of the Philippines.
It is a decision that will increase global diplomatic pressure on Beijing to scale back military expansion in the sensitive area.
By depriving certain outcrops – some of which are exposed only at low tide – of territorial-generating status, the ruling effectively punches a series of holes in China’s all-encompassing “nine-dash” demarcation line that stretches deep into the South China Sea. It declares large areas of the sea to be neutral international waters.
Beijing claims 90% of the South China Sea, a maritime region believed to hold a wealth of untapped oil and gas reserves and through which roughly $4.5tn of ship-borne trade passes every year. Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan also contest China’s claims to islands and reef systems close to their territory than Beijing’s.