South China Sea claims: Room for diplomacy

Sydney

WHILE tensions continue to rise in the South China Sea with steady military buildup by all sides, especially by China, a new pathway may be opening for peaceful resolution of the territorial disputes. The Arbitral Tribunal at the Permanent Court of Arbitration will soon announce whether it has jurisdiction to rule on the Philippines' case against China's expansive maritime claims in the South China Sea. China is expected to reject the court's ruling, though it might eventually be compelled to soften its stance.

The decision, expected this month, marks the next stage in a bitter legal process that began in January 2013 when Manila resorted to international law to settle its maritime disputes with Beijing under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, or Unclos. Beijing immediately boycotted the proceedings, invoking its exemption to arbitration and refusing to submit formal documentation in defence of its …