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  • An International tribunal made its final decision regarding the dispute between China and the

  • Philippines in the South China Sea. But Beijing is still vent on claiming the

  • waters for itself. Why the obsession and what's the strategic

  • value of the area? Our Kim Jung-soo breaks it down for us.

  • The South China Sea refers to a three-point-five million square kilometers area in the Pacific

  • Ocean where mainly six nations, which are China, Philippines, Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia

  • and Brunei, share and claim territorial rights.

  • The most recent dispute between China and the Philippines was mediated a day ago by

  • an international tribune in the Hague, which ruled in favor of Manila, but Beijing claims

  • Chinese presence in the sea dates back to the 3rd century BC.

  • In 2013, the Philippines took China to court demanding its right to exploit the territorial

  • seas that are part of the South China Sea, but Beijing refused to participate, and responded

  • by increasing the number of military drills in the disputed area.

  • In 2014, China further alarmed its neighbors by enlarging artificial reefs on the Spratly

  • Islands, and therefore attempted to create "exclusive economic zones," which allow countries

  • uncontested sovereignty of territorial seas within 200-miles from the coastline.

  • But the reluctance to compromise on where each nation's territorial seas start or end

  • is primarily motivated by a number of economic factors.

  • According to the Council on Foreign Relations, about half of international maritime trade

  • routes pass through the South China Sea,

  • amounting to an annual 5.3 trillion U.S. dollars worth of commerce, while more than 60 percent

  • of oil-tankers transit through the area. 23 billion tons, or 13 percent of the planet's

  • crude oil, are estimated to be buried deep under the sea as well, along with more than

  • 5 trillion cubic meters of natural gas.

  • In other words, the South China Sea represents a vast fortune in resources, and regional

  • power for the nation that claims the sea for itself.

  • With China refusing to accept the ruling announced on Tuesday, experts say that neighboring countries

  • must closely monitor Beijing's reaction in the months to come. In particular, experts

  • advise that new Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte must strive to avoid direct confrontation

  • with China and foster a flexible economic relationship.

  • Kim Jung-soo, Arirang News.

An International tribunal made its final decision regarding the dispute between China and the

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