On July 12, a United Nations tribunal ruled on an arbitration case involving contested territory in the South China Sea. Government professors Allen Carlson and Jessica Chen Weiss, both on the faculty of the China-Asia Pacific Studies (CAPS) Program, reflected on the verdict.
In the China File, Carlson wrote that this is a "pivotal moment" in the conflict over the contested island territory. "It is difficult to understate the extent to which the P.C.A.’s ruling challenges practically every core component of Beijing’s international legal position regarding the sovereign status of the South China Sea. Such a development is unprecedented within the history of this contested ocean territory," he noted. Read the full Carlson op-ed. (Weiss also has a piece in the China File conversation.)
In the Washington Post, Weiss wrote that China's reaction to the verdict was as expected. "Chinese state media have stressed that the best response is to ignore the verdict, while insisting that China is prepared to take whatever measures necessary to halt 'any provocation whatsoever' by the United States and its allies. If we see Chinese protests in the coming days and weeks against the United States or its allies, we should take them seriously as a sign of China’s resolve," wrote Weiss. Read the full Weiss op-ed.
