A decade since the Philippines won the 2016 Arbitral Award against China: What has changed?

West Philippine Sea encompasses waters within the Philippines’ 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone in the South China Sea, including areas where China has constructed artificial islands and conducted maritime patrols contested by Manila. Image Credit: Philippine Coast Guard

Ten years have passed since the Philippines won a landmark legal case that invalidated China's sweeping claims over much of South China Sea. What does the 2016 Arbitral Award mean for the Philippines, Australia and the Indo-Pacific?

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Key Points

• The ruling clarified the Philippines' maritime rights.
• A legal victory has not ended tensions at sea. Confrontations have continued, including water-cannon incidents, the obstruction of resupplu missions and renewed tensions around Bajo de Masinloc o Scarborough Shoal.
• The Award also matters to Australia and the Indo-Pacific. Its growing maritime cooperation with the Philippines reflects broader concerns about freedom of navigation, regional stability and whether disputes in the Indo-Pacific will be governed by international law or by military power.

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