The military drills will finish one day before the United Nations arbitration court announces its decision on the SCS case initiated by the Philippines against China’s maritime claims in the resource-rich area. Its claim is firmly contested by the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan which have overlapping claims over the area.
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The tribunal in The Hague is widely expected to rule against China on several counts in a case brought by the Philippines in 2013 challenging the legality of Beijing’s claims to nearly all of the South China Sea.
The naval drills, which will cover the area east of China’s Hainan Island all the way to and including the Paracels, will be held on July 5-11, Reuters reports, citing a brief statement published online.
China has built artificial islands in disputed areas and has been angered by periodic US military patrols nearby. The Southeast Asian nation will have an easier time fishing or conducting other activities in disputed waters if the tribunal rules against China.
The Philippines took the case to the tribunal, challenging China’s claims to more than 80 percent of the South China Sea.
China wants the Philippines to settle the dispute through bilateral negotiations, according to the state Xinhua news agency.
“For all the disputes concerning the South China Sea, negotiation is the only choice and the only viable approach”. Analysts have said that among Beijing’s concerns are that the tribunal’s verdict will trigger copycat suits.
The Philippines is making the case that Beijing’s claim to the area within the “nine-dash line” (see below) violates the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea.
It remains unclear how the court will rule on the nine-dash line, but other aspects appear to be in the Philippines’ favor, Paul Gewirtz, constitutional law professor and director of the Paul Tsai China Center at Yale, wrote in a Brookings report in May.
“Confrontation will never help to resolve the South China Sea issue”, he said.
Every year about $5 trillion in ship-borne trade passes through the strategic waters of the South China Sea.
Manila has sought to dial down tensions with its powerful neighbour ahead of the decision but resisted pressure to ignore the ruling.
Hong said the government will continue to abide by global law and basic norms governing worldwide relations, as enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, and will continue to work with states directly concerned to resolve the relevant disputes in the South China Sea through negotiation. With an eye toward the South China Sea, U.S. forces are planning to deploy a second Navy-Marine amphibious group in the region beginning in 2019.
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“It is my understanding that the President would like to maintain stronger, better relationships with everybody, including China, including the United States, including Japan and all”, Yasay said, referring to President Rodrigo Duterte, who was sworn into office last week.
