China’s claims to historic rights over waters within the nine-dash line are contrary to the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) at The Hague, the Netherlands, said.

The PCA issued, in the afternoon of July 12 (Viet Nam time), the ruling on the case brought by the Philippines against China’s nine-dash line claim in the South China Sea (known as the East Sea by Viet Nam). This is the first international ruling regarding South China Sea disputes.

The PCA said on July 12 that China’s claims to historic rights for waters within the nine-dash line are contrary to the 1982 ​UNConvention on the Law of the Sea (Photo: BBC)

The PCA said China has caused permanent and irreparable harm to the coral reef ecosystem at the Spratly (Truong Sa) archipelago, and that it also has no historic title over waters of the South China Sea.

The Hague Tribunal also finds no legal basis for China to claim historic rights to resources within the nine-dash line.

According to The Hague court, China has no rights to a 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ) surrounding the Mischief and Thomas reefs.

The court defined “Ba Binh” feature in Viet Nam’s Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelago as a “rock” which means it has no EEZ.

China's ships conducting reclamation activities in Viet Nam's Fiery Cross Reef (Photo: EPA/VNA)

The PCA also underlined that China has interfered with the traditional fishing rights of the Philippines in Scarborough Shoal, highlighting that China’s actions have worsen disputes between the country and the Philippines when efforts have been made to resolve the disputes.

The PCA’s ruling also confirmed that no islands in Truong Sa entitle China a right to an EEZ, while stating that Beijing has caused long-term and irreparable harm to the coral reef ecosystem in Truong Sa.

Despite the international community’s protest, China brazenly claims sovereignty over 80% of the South China Sea through the nine-dash line claim. It has also continually reclaimed and constructed an array of infrastructure facilities on artificial islands in the South China Sea.

On January 22, 2013, the Philippines filed a lawsuit with the PCA against China’s claims to sovereign right, jurisdiction and historic rights over waters within the nine-dash line, which run counter to the 1982 UNCLOS and exceed the limits of China’s maritime entitlements under the convention.

(Source: VNA)