Ironically, though Taiwan’s rejection of the PCA ruling was along the lines of China (as the former also claims the South China Sea), Taipei’s support is of no consolation to Beijing. The PCA ruling also challenges two additional myths of an emerging peaceful world order. Yet, as the bitter stand-off over the PCA ruling underlines, none of this translated into political bonhomie. According to Chinese statistics, in 2015, bilateral trade between China and the Philippines grew by 2.7% and hit a new record of $45.65 billion. In reality, however, it has become an exemplar of China’s role in the ongoing contest to determine the world order.

Source: Mint July 17, 2016 19:21 UTC