Risky Games in the South China Sea

Undaunted by China’s aggressive rhetoric and expansionist claims to nearly all of the South China Sea, the Philippines has filed a legal case against Beijing with an international arbitration tribunal in The Hague. This is an appropriate venue to resolve a major dispute peacefully and in accord with global norms. The strategy of the Philippines has implications for others with similar claims against China — Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan — and thus deserves support from the international community.