The Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague – the world’s oldest international tribunal for international resolutions of disputes between nations – has said it will issue a verdict on July 12 on the South China Sea case unilaterally initiated by the Philippines.

“The Tribunal will issue its Award on Tuesday, 12 July 2016, at approximately 11am,” the PCA, acting as the registry of the tribunal, said in a press release.

“The Award will first be issued via email to the parties, along with an accompanying press release containing a summary of the award,” it said.

The case was taken to the court by the Aquino administration in the Philippines.

How the new president, Rodrigo Duterte, will react to the outcome remains a moot point.

He has sent out mixed signals on how he will treat the issue.

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