Best Posts in Thread: South China Sea ruling

An international tribunal has ruled against Chinese claims to rights in the South China Sea, backing a case brought by the Philippines.

The Permanent Court of Arbitration said there was no evidence that China had historically exercised exclusive control over the waters or resources.

China called the ruling "ill-founded" and says it will not be bound by it.

China claims almost all of the South China Sea, including reefs and islands also claimed by others.

The tribunal in The Hague said China had violated the Philippines' sovereign rights. It also said China had caused "severe harm to the coral reef environment" by building artificial islands.

• China's Island Factory
• Mysteries and maritime claims
• In pictures: How the ruling affects the livelihood of Filipino fishermen
• Why is the South China Sea contentious?
• Flying close to China's new islands
• Rivalries underneath the South China Sea

The ruling came from an arbitration tribunal under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which both countries have signed.

The ruling is binding but the tribunal, the Permanent Court of Arbitration, has no powers of enforcement. Beijing South China Sea claims rejected by court - BBC News