Beijing defending global maritime order

The Philippines' decision to move the Permanent Court of Arbitration against China over the South China Sea dispute could influence the situation in the region. The tribunal will pass its ruling on July 12, but China's solemn stance and countermeasures, the United States' uncalled-for intervention and some countries' attitudes at the G7 Summit and the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia have already further complicated the situation.

The case has drawn global attention because The Hague-based tribunal has expanded its jurisdiction to arbitrate in the Beijing-Manila dispute, which is surely going to affect the established rules of navigation and the seas based on the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. It could prompt all coastal, and even some landlocked, states to consider themselves as part of the maritime dispute and, depending on their political considerations, take sides either with the US and the Philippines, or with China.

In response to Manila's unilateral move, Beijing has been reiterating its "non-participation and non-acceptance" stance, that is, it will neither participate in the arbitration nor accept its ruling. And considering the arbitration tribunal's ruling has less binding force than a verdict given by the International Court of Justice or the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, and since Manila doesn't have any legal basis for the case, the arbitration is not likely to have any direct impact on China. As such, China will continue to defend its territorial and maritime rights in the South China Sea.