Analysts say the ruling, which went overwhelmingly in favor of the Philippines, narrows China’s wiggle room for negotiation in the dispute.
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(Ritchie B. Tongo/Pool Photo via AP, File). China has intensified the drumb…
In addition, the territorial dispute with China over the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea has been exacerbated by moves by Beijing to demonstrate its maritime advances by, for example, sending naval vessels in June into Japan’s territorial waters and contiguous zone.
“Today, the Di Hua frigate is set to set off to conduct patrols in the South China Sea”, the president said of the mission, which began a day ahead of schedule.
Amarjit Singh, a senior consultant at risk forecaster IHS Country Risk, predicted that after the ruling, the USA would undertake so-called “freedom of navigation” patrols and flights within the area to reinforce the tribunal’s findings that various Chinese claims there are not valid.
He says, “If our security is being threatened, of course we have the right to demarcate a zone. This would depend on our overall assessment”, Liu said in a briefing.
“Countries outside the region should fully respect efforts made by China and the Asean countries to safeguard peace and stability in the South China Sea, and play a constructive role to this end”, it said.
Although rivals, self-ruled Taiwan and China share the same territorial claims, pitting them against other claimants, chiefly the Philippines and Vietnam.
The ruling has elicited a rare common position between China and Taiwan, which Beijing regards as a breakaway province and blocks Taiwan’s membership of most worldwide organizations.
Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said Wednesday that China’s reputation and ambitions of becoming a world leader would suffer if it ignored the South China Sea ruling.
The Philippines, under a United Nations treaty governing the seas, asked in 2013 for arbitration on a number of issues it had with treaty co-signee China.
This is the first time an worldwide court has ruled on region’s mess of competing claims and Tuesday’s decision could ratchet up friction in the region, where $5 trillion in ship-borne trade passes through annually. An global tribunal has found that there is no legal basis for China’s claimi… It also gives heart to small countries in Asia that have helplessly chafed at China’s expansionism, backed by its military and economic power.
Ashley Townshend, research fellow at the U.S. Studies Centre at the University of Sydney, said that if the ruling had been a less emphatic victory for the U.S.-allied Philippines, then it may have proved a “bit of a firebreak” for regional tensions, opening up space for negotiation over the issue.
Cooperation, however, would remain elusive if conflicts over claims persist, he said.
Asserting what China sees as historical rights in the South China Sea has been a massive priority for President Xi Jinping, said Shen.
The disputes have also increased friction between China and the United States, which has ramped up its military presence in the region as China has expanded its navy’s reach farther offshore. He called for all parties to refrain from provocative statements or actions, expressing hope that the ruling will be an opportunity to deal with disputes in a peaceful manner from hereon.
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China had boycotted the hearings, saying the tribunal did not have jurisdiction to decide on the matter.
