On 12 July 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration delivered its long-awaited ruling on the protracted dispute between the Philippines and China. The PCA ruled in favor of the Philippines in 14 of its 15 claims against China in the South China Sea. To recap, here are a few of the court’s important findings:
Furthermore, the PCA determined that China violated the rights and obligations of nations utilizing the ocean by destroying the marine environment through its constructions of artificial islands; openly defied Philippines sovereign rights by interfering with oil and gas exploration at the Reed Bank; and illegally constructed a facility on Mischief Reef, which sits on the Philippine continental shelf.