How Philippines is reshaping South China Sea defence, 10 years after Hague ruling

AI Summary

A decade after the Hague tribunal ruled China’s expansive South China Sea claims illegal, the Philippines has begun to strengthen its maritime defense capabilities. Despite being outmatched, Manila is working to convert its legal victory into credible deterrence amid ongoing geopolitical tensions.

A decade after a tribunal in The Hague ruled on July 12, 2016, that China’s sweeping South China Sea claims had no legal basis, Philippine officials and analysts say Manila remains heavily outmatched at sea but has begun turning its landmark legal victory into a more credible form of deterrence. The Philippines brought the case in 2013 under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos), challenging Beijing’s nine-dash line and other claims. The tribunal ruled that China’s...