The American response to China’s bullying must be firm and long-lasting

Defense Secretary Ashton Carter speaks during a news conference at the Pentagon, Thursday, Aug. 20, 2015. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta) ** FILE **

Defense Secretary Ashton Carter speaks during a news conference at the Pentagon, Thursday, Aug. 20, 2015. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta) ** FILE ** more >

By THE WASHINGTON TIMES – – Sunday, November 1, 2015

The Permanent Court of Arbitration, an agency at the United Nations that listens to disputes about the UN’s Law of the Sea, has agreed to hear the Philippines‘ case against China for building military bases on reefs in the South China Sea a thousand miles south of its Mainland. To no one’s surprise, China indicates that it will reject the court’s jurisdiction, which is all the more reason belated American naval patrols in South China sea must continue.

The Obama administration has finally, after pleas from the U.S. Navy, challenged China’s attempt to take over one of the world’s most important naval arteries. China argues that vague 1947 maps of the South China Sea validate its territorial claims to reefs lying athwart the world’s third most important seaway, a lifeline between Asia and the Middle East and Europe. Indeed, the oil traffic alone from the Middle East makes it one of the world’s most critical sea routes.

Read more: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/nov/1/editorial-protecting-the-sea-lanes-of-asia/