All eyes are on China as the ruling on the South China Sea by The Hague's arbitration court is expected in the coming weeks. The Philippines filed the territorial case against Beijing in the international court. 

The arbitration ruling will decide whether or not China's claims on almost the entirety of the South China Sea is in accordance with international laws, particularly the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

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Political observers said disputes between a host of countries laying claims on the disputed waters and China will likely intensify whichever the decision favors.

International community

Although China has made it clear earlier that it does not recognize the jurisdiction of the Hague court and will reject the ruling once it is handed down, the international community is watching any signs of what China will do in response to the verdict.

Countries such as the United Kingdom, the United States and others have called on China to respect the decision of the court once it is handed down but Beijing has been firm on its stance not to abide by the ruling.

Earlier reports said China will start reclaiming the disputed Scarborough Shoal this year to bolster its territorial claims and will build another airstrip and outpost in anticipation of the ruling which many believe will go against Beijing.

The reef, which is also being claimed by the Philippines and Taiwan, is a little less than 200 kilometers from Subic Bay, well within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

Despite protests from the Philippines, China continues to defend its claims to the Scarborough Shoal.

Chinese territory

"I want to reiterate that the Scarborough Shoal is an inherent part of the Chinese territory.  No matter what kind of action that China may take or not, it is something within the scope of China's sovereignty," foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said in a press conference.

China has long pushed for dialogues and bilateral negotiations with the nations involved in the dispute and has lambasted third party intervention, obviously referring to the US, in resolving the South China Sea row.

Beijing blamed the increasing US military presence in the region as the source of tensions between claimant states and China and not its claims to controlled territories.

China has reiterated that the US patrols in the disputed waters are "acts of provocation" that should be stopped immediately.

The US defended its maritime patrols by invoking the principle of freedom of navigation and said the patrols are not meant to provoke China. 

TagsHague arbitration court, South China Sea, United Nations Convention on the law of the Sea, Scarborough Shoal, Freedom of Navigation, Beijing