The South China Sea Dispute: From Japan’s G7 to China’s G20 Summit. Cargo ship in South china sea (Shutterstock) Guest blogger John Kirton is the director of the G7 and G8 Research Group, and co-director of the G20 Research Group.
On July 12, 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration is expected to bring down its judgement in the arbitration case brought by the Philippines to challenge China’s unilateral, very expansive claims to jurisdiction over the South China Sea based on its self-identified nine-dash line. Joseph Nye: Avoiding Conflict in the South China Sea.
OXFORD – When a US Navy P8-A surveillance aircraft recently flew near Fiery Cross Reef in the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, it was warned eight times by the Chinese Navy to leave the area.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that, “China’s determination to safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity is as firm as a rock.” US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter replied that, “[T]here should be no mistake about this: the United States will fly, sail, and operate wherever international law allows us, as we do all around the world.”
Why is the Philippines suing China over the South China Sea? Beijing has refused to participate in the case but the outcome could have lasting implications for China's rise as a superpower, global trade and even world peace.
What's the Philippines case? There are three key points -- firstly, the Philippines wants the court to decide whether certain features in the sea are islands, reefs, low tide elevations or submerged banks. It might sound like a minor point, but under the United Nation's Convention on Laws of the Sea (UNCLOS) each delivers different rights over the surrounding waters. For example, a recognized island delivers an Exclusive Economic Zone of 200 nautical miles, giving the responsible country complete control over all enclosed resources, including fish, oil and gas. Importantly, artificial islands like those China has been building are not counted. Is there a way for Beijing to save face after the South China Sea arbitration ruling?
China and the Philippines, after the arbitration decision, could settle the issues by taking account of the decision without formally mentioning it.
Illustration: Craig Stephens International tensions are rising rapidly as D-Day approaches in the Philippines arbitration case against China. What Will It Take to Keep China From Behaving Badly in the South China Sea? On this week’s episode of The E.R., FP’s David Rothkopf, Seyward Darby, Rosa Brooks, and Kori Schake attempt to make sense of the recent eruptions of chaos and disorder that seem to becoming the global norm.
Do Brexit, Turkey, and the tenor of the U.S. presidential election signal a worldwide and worrisome shift? The panel digs deep into the idea of democracy, specifically in Turkey with the recent attempted coup and purge, and its moral implications. How should citizens handle a democratically elected leader who is undermining, even threatening, their country’s democratic order? And what options do they have other than staging a coup? The panel also examines the implications of the attempted coup against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan outside of Turkey. And finally the panel sets its sights on a timely and perplexing question regarding America’s political future: the state of the Republican Party.
Experts predict no changes in China’s presence in South China Sea. In this July 14, 2016 file photo, Marcopolo Tam, a member of a pro-China business group in Hong Kong, points to what is now known as the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea on a Japanese World War II era map purporting to support China’s claims to vast parts of the South China Sea, in Hong Kong.
An international arbitration panel’s decision on the contested waters of the South China Sea so far is fueling regional tensions rather than tamping them down. In the ensuing 11 days, China has responded to the sweeping victory for the Philippines by flexing its military might. The Philippines faces pressure both at home and abroad not to cede an inch to China after the July 12 decision by a tribunal at The Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration. AP FILE PHOTO China is likely to maintain its previous territorial claims, despite a tribunal ruling invalidating the nine-dash line that demarcates its claim to a large chunk of the resource-rich South China Sea, experts have said. South China Sea arbitration is a political farce. Why China cares about the South China Sea.