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July 12, 2016
BEIJING — China's expansive assertion of sovereignty over the South China Sea suffered a major blow Tuesday when an international tribunal ruled that those claims have no legal, historical basis, throwing up the possibility of a new period of tension and confrontation in the region. Beijing fiercely rejected the decision by the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague, which sided unequivocally with the Philippines against China and stunned experts across the world. The United States urged calm. China is now faced with a dilemma: It can signal its displeasure at the ruling by extending that program and militarizing the islands it controls, risking confrontation and even conflict with emboldened Asian neighbors and the United States. Or it can suspend the program and adopt a more conciliatory approach, at the risk of a loss of face domestically.
The tribunal also ruled that China had violated the Philippines’ sovereign rights by constructing artificial islands there and had caused “permanent irreparable harm to the coral reef ecosystem.” The decision was hailed as a landmark victory for those worried that Beijing was extending its military control over waters with key strategic and commercial significance. But Chinese President Xi Jinping signaled that he was in no mood to back down. "The islands in the South China Sea have been Chinese territories since ancient times," he said, according to state media. "China opposes and will never accept any claim or action based on these awards." The Foreign Ministry said China “solemnly declares that the award is null and void and has no binding force.”
Simpleχity;1066070011 said:Beijing’s claims to South China Sea rejected by international tribunal
Good. International and Maritime Law were upheld. The full 478 page PCA court decision can be accessed below.
PCA Case Nº 2013-19 | IN THE MATTER OF THE SOUTH CHINA SEA ARBITRATION | THE REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES - and - THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA
Why is China required to adhere to the ruling?Simpleχity;1066070011 said:Beijing’s claims to South China Sea rejected by international tribunal
Good. International and Maritime Law were upheld. The full 478 page PCA court decision can be accessed below.
PCA Case Nº 2013-19 | IN THE MATTER OF THE SOUTH CHINA SEA ARBITRATION | THE REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES - and - THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA
True enough. But with this ruling, China cannot *legally* forbid/deny international navigation in the Sea of China.China doesn't care, unfortunately.
Simpleχity;1066070011 said:Beijing’s claims to South China Sea rejected by international tribunal
Good. International and Maritime Law were upheld. The full 478 page PCA court decision can be accessed below.
PCA Case Nº 2013-19 | IN THE MATTER OF THE SOUTH CHINA SEA ARBITRATION | THE REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES - and - THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA
Hi there Beaudreaux ... I believe you are referring to Moldova...Have you heard that Macedonia is now asking that the Russian troops in the pro-Russian break-away province be replaced with either UN or EU peacekeeping troops?
Simpleχity;1066070271 said:Hi there Beaudreaux ... I believe you are referring to Moldova...
Moldova wants international observer mission in Transnistria instead of Russian forces
Russia and China both have been aggressively seizing lands and people in an imperialist expansion of their powers. At least now, legally, China has been shown that if they try military intervention in the South China Sea like Russia has been doing in Georgia, Ukraine, Crimea, Macedonia, and threatening in the Balkans and the rest of the Baltics, that the world will not give them, at least, a pass like they unfortunately have Russia.
Have you heard that Macedonia is now asking that the Russian troops in the pro-Russian break-away province be replaced with either UN or EU peacekeeping troops?
Simpleχity;1066070011 said:Beijing’s claims to South China Sea rejected by international tribunal
Good. International and Maritime Law were upheld. The full 478 page PCA court decision can be accessed below.
PCA Case Nº 2013-19 | IN THE MATTER OF THE SOUTH CHINA SEA ARBITRATION | THE REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES - and - THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA
Doubtful anyone will stop them. Nobody has the appeitite for traditional war on that scale.
And Pinoy everywhere, raise a glass ...Simpleχity;1066070011 said:Beijing’s claims to South China Sea rejected by international tribunal
Good. International and Maritime Law were upheld. The full 478 page PCA court decision can be accessed below.
PCA Case Nº 2013-19 | IN THE MATTER OF THE SOUTH CHINA SEA ARBITRATION | THE REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES - and - THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA
Why is China required to adhere to the ruling?
They aren't... but they signed conventions which agreed to subject themselves to the Hague in such matters. The ruling also signals to the world that if China behaves to the contrary, they're in the wrong.
China doesn't care. Xiping will keep parroting the "historical" pretext to his state media even though he's been proven wrong. It doesn't stop the Chinese propaganda machine from turning. China has already expanded beyond its Qing dynasty borders, something that its original Communist charter said it would never do.
There's no way the U.S. will go to bat against China over some tiny islands, even if they are economically important. There's no strategic interest in us doing so, and China knows it. Our trade agreements with them are way too important. If China pulls out of the U.S. we would be an economic backwater overnight.
I agreed with you completely up until your last sentence. Sorry but that last statement couldn't be more wrong. Do you honestly think there are not tons of countries that would love to replace China in supplying the worlds biggest economy. In fact a loss of trade would do way more damage to China then us. We can find someone else to sell us cheap poorly made junk. Where is China going to find a new economy as big as ours to replace the US. Not happening.
And if you are talking about the US debt that China owns you do realize they own less then 10% of our debt right.
The U.S. also has another disadvantage; it never ratified the Law of the Sea treaty that is the basis of the Hague's ruling. On top of that, China has grown increasingly powerful in Southeast Asian economies to the detriment of US business. The unpopularity of TPP in the US won't make it any easier for Southeast Asian nations to shun Chinese adventurism in the future.There's no way the U.S. will go to bat against China over some tiny islands, even if they are economically important. There's no strategic interest in us doing so, and China knows it. Our trade agreements with them are way too important. If China pulls out of the U.S. we would be an economic backwater overnight.
China owns more U.S. treasury bonds than any other country, and they continue to prop up our currency with their black-box account system.
If they dumped even 10% of their holdings, we would enter a recession instantly. We pay them back by accepting their cheap crap at discount in order to support their manufacturing sector.
The umbilical cord between our two countries is large and potentially lethal right now. In the event that the U.S. challenges China's claim to the South Sea, if you think China wouldn't pull that card you're dead wrong.
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