By Shen Dingli

July 13, 2015

"The government of the Philippines has raised a lawsuit at the International Court of Arbitration claiming that Manila is entitled to its 'exclusive economic zone' (EEZ). The Hague-based court is convening a hearing on the issue.

The Philippines claims that because of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), it is qualified to possess all of its EEZ, despite the fact that there is a dispute over the Nansha Islands within this area. It has argued that it is raising the lawsuit not to settle the dispute over the islands, although it deems to qualify their sovereignty. For this lawsuit, it simply wants to make sure that it owns the exclusive fishing and other economic rights there."

Read more:
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/opinion/2015-07/13/content_21268705.htm

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