Philippines to appear before court over South China Sea dispute

PanARMENIAN.Net - Lawyers for the Philippines will appear before a panel of international judges in The Hague on Tuesday, November 24, seeking a ruling that could bolster territorial claims by a series of countries against China in the resource-rich South China Sea, Reuters reports.

The Philippines is asking the Permanent Court of Arbitration to recognize its right to exploit waters within 200 nautical miles of its coastline, under the terms of a UN convention.

China, which claims economic and territorial rights in almost the entire body of water, has boycotted the proceedings and rejects the court's authority in the case.

But experts say the ruling could influence other cases in the heated South China Sea dispute - involving Vietnam, Taiwan, Malaysia, Brunei and other countries. Indonesia has signaled it may also go to the courts.

The claims by an increasingly assertive China - based on specks of rock that it owns, dotted throughout the area with names like Scarborough Shoal and Mischief Reef - have triggered protests among its neighbors around the Pacific rim.

The United States, traditionally the region's dominant security player, also objects to China's moves, sending military aircraft to survey China's development activities.

The Philippines' case is based on the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) - a pact that does not cover matters of sovereignty, but outlines a system of territory and economic zones that can be claimed from features such as islands, rocks and reefs.

The Philippines will make submissions on 15 claims during the proceedings, which are expected to last around a week.