On Tuesday, The Hague Tribunal rejected China’s claims to “historic rights” in the South China Sea in a case brought by the Philippines, ruling that China had violated the Philippines’ sovereign rights.
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The surprisingly strong ruling provided ammunition for Manila and other claimants locked in disputes over the resource-rich sea but sparked fury from Beijing, which warned its rivals against turning the waters into a “cradle of war” and threatened an air defence zone. He said China would consider an air defense zone that requires foreign aircraft to notify China before flying in designated areas, depending on perceived threats to China’s claims.
China’s Foreign Ministry also urged the U.S. to “stop advertising the illegal arbitration and meddling with the South China Sea issue, and cease undermining China’s sovereignty and security interests and escalating regional tensions”.
“Malaysia is fully committed and calls on all parties to ensure the full and effective implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea in its entirety; and the early conclusion of a Code of Conduct in the South China Sea as agreed between China and Asean countries”.
Taiwan has ruled out the possibility of cross-strait cooperation on the South China Sea issue after the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague handed down its ruling on the disputes in the area that has been considered unfavorable to China. “China will take all necessary measures to protect the inviolability of the territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests”.
“We hope other countries will not take the chance to blackmail China”.
Moreover, Kirby remarked that the Tribunal’s decision is “final and legally binding” for both the Philippines and China. It brokered a Pacific free trade pact, which excluded China, and secured five new military bases in the Philippines.
An global tribunal yesterday ruled China has no right to more than a million square miles of territory it claims in the South China Sea.
China justifies its claims by saying it was the first to have discovered, named and exploited the sea, and outlines its territory using a vague map made up of nine dashes that emerged in the 1940s.
It also asked the tribunal to rule on largescale constructions that China had undertaken in the region.
Tsai’s predecessor Ma Ying-jeou visited Taiping in January to press Taiwan’s claims and show that Taiping is an island, not a rock, in a move that triggered criticism from the United States as well as protests from Vietnam and the Philippines.
“Let’s be magnanimous in victory”.
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The Philippines filed the legal challenge against China in 2013 under Duterte’s predecessor, Benigno Aquino.
