A United Nations tribunal is set to hear a legal challenge over territorial claims in the South China Sea.
The Philippines says most of China’s maritime claims in the hotly disputed area are invalid. In 2013، it filed a legal challenge with the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague، Netherlands asking it to rule on the issue.
But the tribunal will first address China’s assertion that it has no jurisdiction to hear the case. China claims almost the whole of the South China Sea angering several Asian neighbors. Vietnam، Taiwan، Malaysia، Brunei and Indonesia also have claims in the 3.5 million-sq-km (1.4 million-sq-mile) area said to be rich in resources.
The Philippines has had diplomatic spats with China over the Scarborough Shoal and Spratlys in particular.
It say China’s “nine-dash line”، which China uses to demarcate its territorial claims، is unlawful under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea، which both countries have signed، and wants the tribunal to declare it invalid.
In recent months China has been doing aggressive land reclamation and building of facilities on several reefs، prompting the United States to call for a halt on such efforts.
Satellite images show that، among other things، China is building an airstrip on reclaimed land on Fiery Cross Reef in the Spratly Islands. China has argued that it is acting lawfully based on its sovereign rights to the disputed areas.
Source: BBC/Asia