South China Sea ruling angers Beijing

摘要

An unequivocal legal verdict in support of the Philippines’ position in the South China Sea risks removing scope for negotiation over upstream blocks. China’s claims to sovereignty over most of the South China Sea are without merit, the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in the Netherlands has ruled. Beijing opted out of the arbitration process, and responded to the PCA ruling by reaffirming its claims in the region, and by landing civilian aircraft on an airstrip built on Mischief reef in the Spratly islands.