China, which boycotted South china Sea case, summoned its sailors and officers for exercises. (Reuters)
An international tribunal ruled unanimously Tuesday that there is no legal basis for China's "nine-dash line"
claiming rights to much of the South China Sea.
The panel of legal experts in The Hague said that any historic rights to resources that China may have had were wiped out if they are incompatible with exclusive economic zones established under a UN treaty.
Manila brought the case to arbitration in 2013 because China's claims infringe upon its own 200-mile exclusive economic zone. The dispute centers on waters through which an estimated $5 trillion in global trade passes through each year and are home to rich fishing stocks and a potential wealth of oil, gas and other resources.
China, which boycotted the case, summoned its demobilized sailors and officers for training drills in exercises that apparently started just days ago.
The People's Liberation Army Daily newspaper said on social media late Monday that Chinese navy reserves have been called up to perform "functional tasks." The post followed online rumors that reservists in central Chinese provinces were called up for an unspecified mission from July 10-22.
China has argued that
the tribunal has no jurisdiction and says it won't accept the ruling. It has insisted that bilateral talks between Beijing and other claimants is the only way to address the dispute.
Findings of the tribunal are binding on the parties, including China. But the court - without police or military forces or a system of sanctions at its disposal - can't enforce its ruling, so its potential impact remains unclear.