Hague Tribunal's ruling 'a slap on China's face': Rajeswari Rajagopalan

Rajeswari Rajagopalan, senior fellow with Delhi-based Observer Research Foundation think tank, today dubbed the Hague Tribunal's ruling that China has no historic rights over South China Sea as a big slap on Beijing's face and a big win for the Philippines.

Rajagopalan, an expert in India-China relations, said Beijing knew in advance that their claims were not going to be valid and legitimate.

"And the fact that they have based their entire claims on South China sea based on some historical, you know few pottery found on the atolls, it is not something that will be valid in the international court and I think that's exactly what is being seen," she added.

Rajagopalan further said the verdict clearly says that the Philippines sovereignty has been violated and their basic fishing rights have been abrogated.

"So, there are several issues on which China has been found violating them," she added.

In the 497-page ruling, the judges also said that there was no legal basis for China to claim historic rights to resources within the sea areas falling within the 'nine-dash line, referring to a demarcation line on a 1947 map of the sea, which is rich in energy, mineral and fishing resources.

Restating its territorial sovereignty, maritime rights and interests over the South China Sea, China, however, today rejected the ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague on the South China Sea dispute, which said that Beijing has no "historic title" over the waters of the disputed sea.