A Chinese official said Saturday that China will ignore a decision by the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague over the South China Sea dispute. The Philippines filed a case [materials] against the People’s Republic of China with the UN Permanent Court of Arbitration [official website] in 2013 disputing the latter’s territorial claims in the South China Sea (SCS). China’s territorial claims in the SCS overlap with territory claimed by other Asian countries. At the Shangri-La Dialogue [official website], Chinese military officials maintained [AP report] that the tribunal has exceeded its jurisdiction. The US has vowed [Reuters report] to take action with other nations if China does not stop constructing on territory claimed by others in the SCS.

China claims nearly the entire 3.5 million square-kilometer SCS, a region rich in oil and minerals, to the detriment of political stability in Asia and the world. In January the Supreme Court of the Philippines approved [JURIST report] a deal that would extend US military presence in their country. In October the PCA ruled [JURIST report] that it has jurisdiction to hear the dispute between the Philippines and China. In July Chinese ambassador Zhao Jianhua said [JURIST report] that the country would not participate in PCA hearings over the dispute between China and the Philippines.