An International Ruling is Needed on the South China Sea

A ruling by an International body in response to disputed territorial claims on the South Chine Sea is needed in order to avert an almost imminent conflict.

China has laid claim to some 90 percent of the sea upon which some $5 billion worth of trade traverses every year. China's claim is disputed by the Philippines, Vietnam, Taiwan and others. 

And while some of the claimants have undertaken some form of reclamation work or another on the various rocks and isles on the natural resource rich South China Sea, China has taken much criticism because it appears to militarize the sea while encroaching upon the exclusive economic zone of smaller nations, in clear violation of International Law.

Recent reports detailed that China, among other things, is building an aircraft landing strip on the disputed islands along with housing mobile artillery systems. 

Philippines President Benigno Aquino has repeatedly warned the international community of China's actions that he likened to clear aggression. Yesterday, as he traveled to Japan, President Aquino compared China's assertions on the South China Sea as similar to Nazi expansionism pre-World War II. 

Therefore, in light on China's actions and claims on the South China Sea and the competing claims of smaller nations accompanied by warnings and concerns of the Philippines, and International body such as the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea(UNCLOS), should render a decision in respect to territorial claims on the South China Sea so that conflict could be averted.