China Sea Arbitration

Conflicting claims over a group of uninhabited China Sea islets has led to calls for international dispute resolution. As there has been no bilateral dialogue on resource development in the East China Sea in recent years, Japan's ruling party is urging Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's government to consider seeking international arbitration over China's drilling activities, mirroring similar action taken by the Philippines. Last year, Japan called on China to halt construction of oil-and-gas exploration platforms in the East China Sea. At the time, Tokyo accused Beijing of unilateral development despite a 2008 agreement to maintain cooperation on resources development in the area, where no official border between them has been drawn. China maintains it has a right to drill in the East China Sea close to waters it disputes with Japan. The Philippines has brought a case in the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague about its dispute with China in the South China Sea. China reportedly reacted angrily and has pledged not to participate. The PCA was the first international organization for peaceful civil dispute resolution between states through arbitration, and is nearly fifty years older than the International Court of Justice and 100 years older than the International Criminal Court, having been established in 1899. Arbitration is an alternative to civil litigation, but the arbitrator, in place of a judge, can still usually bind the sides to follow his decision. See full story here-- reut.rs/1Uf7Xiu