China Says It Does Not Accept Verdict On South China Sea

The Hague: A UN-backed tribunal has ruled against China in a bitter row over territorial claims to the South China Sea that is likely to ratchet up regional tensions.

China says the arbitration court in The Hague has no jurisdiction in the multinational dispute, and it refused to take part in the case.

China "does not accept and does not recognise" the Hague tribunal judgement, its state media agency, Xinhua, said today.

The tribunal today ruled that China has "no historic rights" or title to over the waters of the South China Sea. The five-member tribunal has the power to make a decision that cannot be appealed. However, it has no means to enforce the verdict, with compliance left to the parties concerned.
 China asserts sovereignty over almost all of the strategically vital waters in the face of rival claims from its Southeast Asian neighbours. It was taken to court by the Phillipines in 2013, saying that after 17 years of negotiations it had exhausted all political and diplomatic avenues.

The 1.2 million square miles of water are of key value strategically. Shipping lanes vital to world trade pass through here, carrying everything from raw materials to finished products, as well as enormous quantities of oil.

Scientists also believe that the seabed could contain unexploited oil, gas and minerals.

China's land-reclamation programme has been very aggressive. Satellite pictures now show inhabited islands where there was once only submerged coral and many have multiple facilities, including some with runways long enough for huge planes.

Washington says the waters are international and regularly sends its warships there on so-called "Freedom of Navigation" missions.

China says these missions are provocations and warns the US not to interfere. It regularly stages its own exercises in the area as a show of force.