A unified and holistic approach among South China Sea (West Philippine Sea or WPS) claimants, especially those in the Southeast Asia is more than needed now, maritime experts suggested on Friday as it projected that China would still assert its nine-dash-line claims after 10 years. Such a projection, however, will only occur if Southeast Asian claimants of the disputed waters will not act on Beijing’s current aggression and allow the Asian giant to get away with its assertions. Jay Batongbacal, director of the University of the Philippines Institute for Maritime Affairs and Law of the Sea, said in 10 years’ time, the international community, especially the sea claimants, would be seeing an unchanged future in which China would still rule over the waters by aggressively asserting its nine-dash-line claim.

Reyes, D. (2020, May 16). Experts: China to keep asserting WPS claims. The Manila Times, p. A2.