Why does the Philippines' South China Sea Arbitration lack legitimacy and exceed its proper authority?

Unilaterally initiating the so-called "South China Sea Arbitration” in 2013, the Philippines sought to disguise disputes over sovereignty of some islands and reefs in the Nansha Islands and the resulting maritime rights as questions unrelated to sovereignty or delimitation.

Its repeated provocations in the waters near the Huangyan Island , however, highlight why the arbitral ruling cannot resolve the South China Sea issue. Since territorial sovereignty is the foremost concern of all parties involved, there are no shortcuts to a solution.

Separating sovereignty from maritime rights will only lead to further confusion.