CURRENT AFFAIRS

Detailed explanation-1: -Six years ago, an Arbitral Tribunal constituted under the 1982 Law of the Sea Convention delivered a unanimous decision, which is final and binding on the Philippines and the PRC. In its ruling, the Tribunal firmly rejected the PRC’s expansive South China Sea maritime claims as having no basis in international law.

Detailed explanation-2: -The Philippine claims to sovereignty over the features known as Scarborough Shoal and the KIG are independent of its archipelagic status both legally and historically. Because Scarborough Shoal is a feature which exists above high tide, it is capable of [sovereign] appropriation under international law.

Detailed explanation-3: -The conflict between China and the Philippines in the Western Philippine Sea (a.k.a. the South China Sea) is the result of years of territorial dispute over the Spratly Islands – a group of 7, 500 islands and reefs that multiple countries have claimed as their own.