China’s candidate in UN law of the sea tribunal falls short

IT is significant for the Philippines’ position and diplomacy in the South China Sea (SCS) dispute that at the United Nations, Beijing’s candidate in the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea received more abstentions than any other candidate.

Around the world, there is widespread perception that China’s claims over almost all of the waterway are written on water and will not stand and that its militarization of islands and reefs in the SCS violate international law.