In the latest developments in the global affairs, an international arbitration panel has ruled that it can hear a case brought by the Philippines in its territorial dispute with China, involving a group of islands in the South China Sea.
The Permanent Court of Arbitration, based in The Hague, Netherlands, rejected China’s argument that the dispute was about sovereignty – and so beyond its remit. It will now begin hearings on the case’s merits, under a UN Convention.
China’s claims in the South China Sea are contested strongly by its Asian neighbours. The Philippines has had diplomatic spats with China over the Scarborough Shoal and Spratlys in particular, rejecting its claims to those areas. It states that China’s “nine-dash line”, which China uses to demarcate its territorial claims, is unlawful under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, which both countries have signed. The Philippines had asked the Hague-based panel to consider its case under the convention, which seemingly falls within the panel’s jurisdiction.
The panel decided on Wednesday that it had the authority to hear seven of Manila’s submissions under the convention.
The court said in a statement that it rejected the argument by China that the “dispute is actually about sovereignty over the islands in the South China Sea and therefore beyond the tribunal’s jurisdiction”.
China has boycotted the proceedings, insisting that the panel has no authority to rule in the case. Also, no date has been set for further hearings, which will determine the merits of the Philippines’ arguments.
Source: BBC
