Beijing immune to Manila's arbitration

An arbitral tribunal with widely contested jurisdiction will issue a ruling on July 12 on the South China Sea case unilaterally initiated by the Philippines, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague said on Wednesday.

Rodrigo Duterte, the newly sworn-in president of the Philippines, has sent signals that China and the Philippines deserve better ties. But to ensure that bilateral ties improve, Duterte has to take a new approach to Manila's disputes with Beijing in the South China Sea, especially because the Permanent Court of Arbitration's ruling on the arbitration case will further deteriorate China-Philippines relations.

Irrespective of what The Hague-based court says, however, the ruling will not have any impact on China.