Hague Court Decision Favors Philippines

          Favorable news for the Philippines regarding its confrontation with China over the South China Sea appeared recently in The New York Times, twice no less.  One of the Times' editorials of Friday 30 October noted that "Finding a solution that protects freedom of navigation and avoids a military clash is essential.  One path is the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague.  On Thursday, the court ruled against China and asserted its right to hear a case brought by the Philippines, which has competing claims to islands and reefs in the South China Sea."

          The very next issue of the Times contained a prominent article (31 October, p. A8) that went into further detail.  "The ruling [of The Hague] was a blow to China which had hoped the court would reject jurisdiction, allowing Beijing to continue making a case that its claims in the South China Sea are based on history rather than legal precedent." 

          The second Times article quoted a Maritime Affairs expert from the University of the Philippines who said that the ruling would help "other countries that oppose China's actions in the South China Sea."  China provided its own Nanjing University authority to the contrary.  This authority, however, also said he hoped that Beijing could more actively "participate in all forums and respond to the international ruling at the tribunal."  A rather a-typical response.

          Perhaps unintentionally, the USS Lassen, a destroyer that deliberately challenged the Chinese by entering waters in a part of the disputed area in recent days, may have complimented the decision by The Hague.

rhb