South China Sea, dispute, Hague, China, Philippines, Taiwan

Beijing asserts sweeping ownership in these contested waters. Now an international tribunal has ruled in favour of the Philippines in case over territorial  controlhe lead up to the ruling was fraught. China’s foreign minister called the US secretary of state, John Kerry, by telephone last week and warned against moves that infringe on China’s sovereignty. And Beijing conducted military drills,deploying at least two guided missile destroyers and a missile .

Bonnie Glaser, the director of the China Power Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) thinktank in Washington, said a ruling that questioned or rejected China’s “nine-dash line” would not  invalidate  all of Beijing’s claims to land or maritime zones in the South China Sea. “[But] it would really limit the amount of water that the Chinese could have any legal sovereignty claim to.

Russia has backed Beijing’s position that direct talks should take place.

And portraying itself as the victim of a US conspiracy to contain its rise, Beijing has scoured the globe for supporters in its case, no matter how disconnected they might be from the subject. In late May the foreign ministry in Beijing saidVanuatu, Lesotho and Palestine had joined its side.

“Countries that harbour no selfish interests and understand the South China Sea sympathise with and endorse China’s just position on this issue,” spokesperson Hua Chunying said.

Townshend said China had good historical reasons to be concerned about “more powerful external countries ganging up on it and telling it what it is entitled to do and not do”.

“[But] it is very difficult for China to play the victim card when you look at the scale and speed and content of what it has built and put on the islands.”

portray 描寫 描繪


maritime  沿海的


sovereignty 主權

frigate  巡防艦


 invalidate 方法 

What  ：An international tribunal in The Hague overwhelmingly backed the Philippines in a case on the disputed waters of the South China Sea, ruling that rocky outcrops claimed by China 

Why ：Control of the South China Sea is the most contentious and explosive diplomatic issue in east Asia, with China asserting sovereignty over maritime areas that span 3.5m square kilometres but are also claimed by Vietnam, Taiwan, Malaysia

Who： The Philippines raised the case in 2013 in a five-judge permanent court of arbitration in The Hague,

How ： Experts are divided on how China will react to the verdict. Some believe China could push back aggressively if the court comes down firmly against its interests.

網址 ：https://www.theguardian.com/news/2016/jul/12/south-china-sea-dispute-what-you-need-to-know-about-the-hague-court-ruling