Adjustment of China’s Policy on the South China Sea after the Ruling of the Arbitral Tribunal

The awards by the South China Sea arbitral tribunal on July 12, 2016 created a new legal landscape which is in favour of countries supporting strict compliance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) in the South China Sea. The convergence of a range of adverse external and internal factors prompted Beijing to adopt tactical changes to restrain the impact of the arbitral ruling, avoiding too much attention from the international public opinion and preempting alignments against China. However, China rigorously continued its naval modernisation, island reclamation, consolidating its foothold in the Paracels and Spratlys and maintaining ambiguity in its claims to leave room for future expansions.

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