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Showing posts with the label Philippines and South China Sea

The award of The Permanent Court of Arbitration Tribunal in South China Sea, What next?

Chinese coast guard ship in South China Sea ( Image credits- VOA) At last the long awaited ruling has come in the South China Sea dispute between China and the Philippines. The Permanent Court of Arbitration Tribunal has ruled over overwhelmingly in favour of the Philippines. The ruling has set at rest the long held Chinese argument of claim over the whole of South China Sea on the ground of historical precedent. It laid down the broader law by which China's claim to the islands in South China Sea and it's encompassing Exclusive Economic Zone has been rejected. China is put to great embarrassment as China is a signatory to The United Nations Convention on Laws of the Sea (UNCLOS) and is bound by the terms and laws laid down in the said convention. China outright rejected the ruling saying that the same is unilateral in nature and the Court does not have the right to adjudicate in sovereign disputes.  What is the South China Sea Dispute: The South China Sea dispute

While the Courts Have Ruled, China Is Not Leaving the South China Sea ( Source- The National Interest / Author- Julian Ku)

PLA soldiers( Image credits- Wikimedia Commons / Chairman, Joint  Chiefs of Staff, United States) Source- The National Interest Author- Julian Ku The Philippines’ sweeping victory in this week’s arbitral decision issued under the UN Convention for the Law of the Sea dealt a serious blow to China. But while the arbitral award dramatically changed the legal landscape and geography of the South China Sea in favor of the Philippines and the United States, it is important to keep in mind that even following the award’s legal conclusions, China may have the legal right to maintain a strong and even dominant presence in the Spratly Islands.  To be sure, the arbitral award is a big defeat for China’s legal claims in the region. Prior to the decision, China had a series of ambiguous but legally plausible claims to historic rights under its famous “9 Dash Line” as well as an unspecified series of exclusive economic zones covering all of the Spratly Islands.  Such unspecified c