The international arbitration case filed by the Philippines over disputed territories in the South China Sea received timely diplomatic support from Australia on Tuesday, when Foreign Minister Julie Bishop declared that the case that had been boycotted by China would “settle once and for all” whether artificial reefs are entitled to territorial waters. The Associated Press reported that Bishop, speaking in Washington, DC, said the ruling of the United Nations Arbitration Court in The Hague would be “extremely important” as a statement of international principle. The UN tribunal is expected to release its ruling later this year. Speaking at a seminar organized by the Center for a New American Security, a Washington-based think tank, Bishop said that although China had declared that it would not be bound by it, the tribunal’s ruling “will be embraced and upheld by all other nations with claims or interests in the region.” Over the past few months, China has constructed several artificial islands in the South China Sea to advance its sweeping territorial claims in the major maritime thoroughfare for world trade.

Doronila, A. (2016, January 29). Australia boosts PH in South China Sea dispute. Philippine Daily Inquirer, p. A17.