The International Court of Arbitration at The Hague will make a landmark decision tomorrow that will determine the fate of China's claims in the South China Sea.
The case was brought on by The Philippines, who are contesting China's claims based on "historic rights" derived from a 1940s map showing a dashed line covering 3.6 million square kilometers. China drew further condemnation from ASEAN, the US and Japan following its big plan to build artificial islands in the disputed waters (which China claims it's stopped doing).
READ MORE: This map shows all the overlapping territorial claims in the South China Sea
China has already said that it doesn't recognize the court's jurisdiction and is expected to ignore the ruling (as it has been since the proceedings first began). According to Bloomberg, the official ruling will be "binding on both countries as signatories to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea but lacks a mechanism for enforcement."
Chinese state media has also had plenty of not-very-nice things to say about the tribunal in advance of the ruling.
Parts of the area in question are also claimed by Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei.
READ MORE: China unveils map annexing Indian territory, increasing claim in South China Sea
[Images via The Foreign Observer, BBC]
0 User Comments