An international tribunal has ruled
against Chinese claims to rights in the South China Sea, backing a case
brought by the Philippines.
The Permanent Court of Arbitration said there was no evidence that China had historically exercised exclusive control over the waters or resources.
China called the ruling "ill-founded" and says it will not be bound by it.
China claims almost all of the South China Sea, including reefs and islands also claimed by others.
The
tribunal in The Hague said China had violated the Philippines'
sovereign rights. It also said China had caused "severe harm to the
coral reef environment" by building artificial islands.
The ruling came from an arbitration tribunal under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which both countries have signed.
The ruling is binding but the Permanent Court of Arbitration has no powers of enforcement.
The
US sent an aircraft carrier and fighter jets to the region ahead of the
ruling. Meanwhile, the Chinese Navy has been carrying out exercises
near the disputed Paracel islands.
Philippe Sands, a lawyer for the Philippines in the case, said it was
a "clear and unanimous judgement that upholds the rule of law and the
rights claimed by the Philippines".
He called it a "definitive ruling on which all states can place reliance".
However,
the Chinese state news agency Xinhua said that "as the panel has no
jurisdiction, its decision is naturally null and void".
The tribunal was ruling on seven of 15 points brought by the Philippines. Among the key findings were:
- Fishermen from the Philippines and China both had fishing rights around the disputed Scarborough Shoal area, and China had interfered by restricting access
- China had "destroyed evidence of the natural condition of features in the South China Sea" that formed part of the dispute
- Transient use of features above water did not constitute inhabitation - one of the key conditions for claiming land rights of 200 nautical miles, rather than the 12 miles granted for rocks visible at high tide.
The BBC's Robin Brant, in Shanghai, says this is the worst
outcome for China and its action in the seas hundreds of miles away will
be the crucial next step.
In a statement, the Chinese foreign ministry said
China was the first to have discovered and exploited the South China
Sea islands and relevant waters, "thus establishing territorial
sovereignty and relevant rights and interests".
The press room was packed but the statement from Philippine Foreign Secretary Perfecto Yasay lasted just two minutes.
In
four short paragraphs, he explained that experts were now analysing the
ruling and called on all concerned to exercise "constraint and
sobriety" at what he described as a "milestone decision".
There were no celebrations, hardly even a smile. And there's a reason for that.
This
is not the same government that first brought this case to the
Permanent Court of Arbitration three and a half years ago, in the
aftermath of a standoff at Scarborough Shoal.
Two weeks ago,
Rodrigo Duterte was sworn in as Philippine president. All the
indications are that he is more willing to seek accommodation with the
Chinese than his predecessor, Benigno Aquino.
Here in Manila, many
believe that the new president may have sought promises of Chinese
investment, in return for a quiet, dignified response.
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