One month has passed since the International Tribunal of the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) at The Hague handed down its historic and sweeping award on maritime entitlements in the South China Sea (SCS), overwhelmingly favoring the Philippines over China. As expected, Beijing refused to accept the PCA ruling, hardened its legal and diplomatic positions, and yet refrained from undertaking provocative actions aimed at changing the status quo as many had feared. Instead, it appears that China is biding its time, perhaps until after the G20 Summit scheduled for September in Hangzhou, China. Chinese leaders may have made the rational calculus that because they have already achieved significant gains in the SCS, they must now exercise strategic patience to consolidate those gains. It behooves Beijing to sustain discreet and steady assertiveness to safeguard its strategic interests without overreaching, which could either encourage Washington and its allies and partners in the region to restrain China more or prompt other SCS claimants to take collective action(s).

Hence, now is an opportune time to carefully analyze the Chinese reaction to determine how best to respond in the coming months. The ultimate goal is for China to act as (or become) a more responsible global stakeholder and net provider of maritime security that contributes positively to the international system. Otherwise, Beijing’s attempts to execute its SCS agenda and strategic ambitions in the Indo-Asia-Pacific will continue unabated and unchecked. The worst-case outcome for the region, the international community, and the United States, is the emergence of a regional hegemon (and possible future global power), one that disregards the international rule of law and acts without restraint in the foreign policy realm.

http://thediplomat.com/2016/08/the-south-china-sea-ruling-1-month-later/