What’s next in the South China Sea disputes
BEIJING — An international tribunal made a landmark ruling Tuesday rejecting China’s vast territorial claims in the South China Sea, handing the Philippines a victory and dealing a blow to Beijing. But it remains unclear what, if any, impact the ruling will have, given that the tribunal doesn’t have any way to enforce it.
The next steps China, the Philippines and the United States might be considering:
CHINA: MAINTAIN HARD LINE, PUSH FOR TALKS
China has spared no effort in dismissing the arbitration decision as null and void, and denouncing the proceedings and even the five-member panel that made the ruling. The government on Wednesday released a policy paper on its dispute with the Philippines over the South China Sea, in which Beijing reiterated its position that the sea’s islands are “China’s inherent territory.”