WEST PHILIPPINE SEA DEEM HAGUE RULING 2016 THAT AWARDED 200MILES OF EEZ TO THE PHILIPPINES AFTER THE PRC LAND GRAB. NOW THE PRC CONTINUED BULLYING TACTIC AGAINST THE PHILIPPINES CONTINUES ALONG THE AYUNING SHOAL AND PAG-ASA ISLAND

Unlike previous territorial disputes put before the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea or International Court of Justice in The Hague, this tribunal did not adjudicate on sovereignty. That would have required both parties’ agreement. Furthermore, China’s reservations after ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) against compulsory dispute settlement under the Convention being binding effectively precluded such a direct approach. The Philippines was able to seek arbitration by focusing its case on the legal status of disputed maritime features, rather than a determination on who owns what. On these more limited terms, the Philippines obtained a sweeping victory, with the panel finding unanimously in its favor on almost all fifteen submissions. https://www.cfr.org/councilofcouncils/global-memos/hague-tribunals-south-china-sea-ruling-empty-provocation-or-slow-burning-influence