THE HAGUE: China has no legal basis to claim “historic rights” to islands in the South China Sea and has violated Manila’s sovereign rights, an international tribunal ruled on Tuesday, in a bitter dispute that risks stoking further tensions in Southeast Asia. “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’,” The Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration said in a statement. The tribunal further ruled that the disputed Spratly islands “cannot generate maritime zones collectively as unit” as claimed by China. Manila – which had lodged the suit against Beijing in 2013 – welcomed the ruling but China reacted furiously, saying it “does not “accept and does not recognise” the decision. Beijing had refused to participate in the case, saying the tribunal had “no jurisdiction” over the issue.

Source: New Strait Times July 12, 2016 09:56 UTC