The Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in its order invalidated China’s expansive sea claims surrounding disputed areas of the South China Sea. (Source: AP) The Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in its order invalidated China’s expansive sea claims surrounding disputed areas of the South China Sea. (Source: AP)In the wake of the international tribunal rejecting its claims in the disputed South China Sea, China on Friday said that the issue of sovereignty was the nation’s “bottom line” and the country “cannot loose one centimetre” of the area it claims. China has also lodged a diplomatic protest with Australia after its Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said the South China Sea verdict is legally binding and Australian ships and aircraft would continue to exercise freedom of navigation and overflight rights over the area. At the centre of the dispute is China’s claims over Arunachal Pradesh which it regards as part of southern Tibet.

Source: Indian Express July 15, 2016 08:45 UTC