As a Student

The Philippines filed an arbitration case against China before a tribunal.

The Philippines has claimed that Chinas Beijings disputable 9-dash line is
against the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) in
which both countries are signatories. However, China refuse to participate
with the proceedings.
The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) is an
international agreement that resulted from the third United Nations
Conference on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS III), which took place between
1973 and 1982. This encompasses a number of topics and among these
include the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). EEZ is a region that stretches a
distance of no more than 200 nautical miles from a nation's baselines. A
nation may explore the natural resources (both living and nonliving) found
both in the water and on the seabed, utilize the natural resources of the area
for the production of energy, establish artificial islands, conduct marine
scientific research, pass laws for the preservation and protection of the
marine environment, and regulate fishing. The 200-mile limit established by
UNCLOS is derived from the fact that the most fishing grounds lie within 200
nautical miles from the coast.
Chinas controversial 9-dash line, on the other hand, refers to
intermittent dotted lines on maps published by the Chinese Ministry of the
Interior in 1947. It served as the basis for the Declaration on Chinas
Territorial Sea, which was made by the Chinese Government in 1958 and laid
territorial claim to a majority of the islands in the South China Sea. However,
when the US State department studied this claim, it showed that it is invalid
and inconsistent with the international law. China as one of the signatories of
UNCLOS signifies that they agree with this law. They should therefore abide
by the laws of the convention and not by their historical claims.
Chinas land reclamation activities strongly disregard Philippines rights
in its EEZ. They exploited the living and nonliving resources in the areas
beyond the UNCLOS limits while forcibly preventing the Philippines in
exploiting the resources in the same areas.
Based on the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, an
international community requires that relations among peoples and political
communities should be justly controlled according to the principles of reason,
equity, law and negotiation, excluding violence and war, forms of
discrimination, intimidation and deceit. International law becomes the
guarantor of the international order. Communities should seek to promote the
common good of their citizens and also spread awareness that the common
good of a nation cannot be separated from the good of the entire human
family.
It is of great importance to learn and be aware of our rights so that we
can understand what is just and what is truly for us. Only then, can we think
of ideas and solutions to protect what is rightfully ours. However, let us not
neglect the essence of the unity of the human race, the equal dignity of
every people, the prevention of war for resolving disputes, the participation
for attaining the common good and being faithful to agreements in order to
gain a stable international life. We should lean towards the effort of bringing

peace to the world. International law must secure that the law of the more
powerful must not succeed in order to ensure attainment of common good,
peace, and solidarity.

http://globalnation.inquirer.net/125745/the-heart-of-the-dispute-over-thewest-ph-sea#ixzz4790ULwFO
http://globalnation.inquirer.net/125745/the-heart-of-the-dispute-over-thewest-ph-sea#ixzz4790Q5CoY
http://www.eoearth.org/view/article/156775/