This line declared by Beijing marks what China views as its maritime territory. For years now China has been creating artificial islands in the SCS, and sparked worldwide tensions when it unilaterally set up an Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ) in the East China Sea in 2013. In the post-ruling scenario, there is a risk that the hawks prevail in Beijing and Chinese maritime operations of this sort will escalate tensions further, risking a flashpoint. The fallout of this could be severe in the region, especially considering that in recent months the U.S. has sailed a Nimitz-class aircraft carrier, as well as guided-missile destroyers into the South China Sea. Greater restraintNevertheless, there are several implicit ironies in this maritime standoff, and these may lead to greater restraint among the belligerents.

Source: The Hindu July 13, 2016 18:00 UTC