Plundering the South China Sea, past and presentTHE spectacular ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration, in The Hague, which overwhelmingly backed the Philippines against China’s claims in the South China Sea, contained a key point on marine environmental destruction and exploitation. The South China Sea has linked southern China to Southeast Asia by trade since the 3rd century BCE. China’s land reclamation and construction of artificial islands in the South China Sea, the Tribunal concluded, had caused “severe harm” to coral reefs and fragile ecosystems. In ancient times, the South China Sea brought southern Chinese into contact with Southeast Asia, with peoples from the Indonesian and Philippine archipelagos, Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia, and Borneo. He also controlled the trade that passed through Hanoi and Canton to the city of Luoyang in central China.

Source: Manila Times July 18, 2016 14:37 UTC