In a shocking development for China, Hague-based international tribunal Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) has dismissed all the claims of Beijing of ownership on South China Sea by giving the judgment in a suit which was filed by Manila in 2013. The PCA has accepted Manila’s allegation that China has violated Manila’s sovereign rights.

The PCA in its statement has said, “The tribunal concluded that there was no legal basis for China to claim historic rights within the sea areas falling within the 'nine-dash line.”

Although Manila has welcomed the judgment, China has reacted strongly by asserting it does not accept and does not recognize the decision. China had even rejected the participation in the case by saying that the tribunal does not have any jurisdiction over the issue.

China has been claiming that most of the South China Sea and the waters approaching neighboring countries, as its sovereign territory on the basis of a Chinese map dating back to 1940s marked with, popularly known as ‘nine-dash line’.

However, PCA has judged that China does not have any historic rights to resources in the waters of South China Sea and that such rights were extinguished to the extent they were incompatible with the exclusive economic zones provided for in UN Law Of Sea convention.

The PCA added in its judgment, “China had violated the Philippines' sovereign rights in the exclusive economic zone by interfering with Philippine fishing and petroleum exploration, by constructing artificial islands and failing to prevent Chinese fishermen from fishing in the zone.”

By Prajakt K.