Beijing could declare air defence zone over South China Sea

China is planning to set up an air defence zone in the South China Sea (SCS). This announcement comes shortly after a UN-backed tribunal ruled the country had no historic rights over islands in the contested region.

Implications:

Setting up an ADIZ would mean that international flights flying over the waters would be required to notify China. China had set up an ADIZ over the East China Sea in 2013, prompting angry reactions from the US and Japan, though the zone was not fully enforced.

Background:

An arbitral tribunal set up by the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PAC) in The Hague recently ruled that China had violated the sovereign rights of the Philippines and caused harm to the coral reef environment. However, China dismissed the verdict, calling the tribunal “illegal” and the ruling “null and void”.