Hundreds of Filipino activists protest outside the Chinese Consulate in Manila’s financial district to mark the fifth anniversary of an international arbitral court ruling invalidating Beijing’s historical claims over the waters of the South China Sea (Reuters cover).

July 12 marks five years since the Philippines won a landmark case against China in a five-judge permanent court of arbitration at The Hague. The Philippines filed the case after China claimed the Scarborough Shoal – a Philippine territory in the South China Sea.

The tribunal ruled that China had violated the Philippines’ sovereign rights in those waters by interfering with its fishing and petroleum exploration and by constructing artificial islands.

The landmark case was the first in Asia and the ruling declared China’s nine-dash claim (which covers most of the South China Sea) invalid.
Vietnam and Malaysia are gearing up to do the same against China.