THE HAGUE – Judges at an international court in The Hague has ruled that China has no “historic title” over the waters of the South China Sea and that it has breached the sovereign rights of the Philippines with its actions there, a long-awaited ruling sure to infuriate Beijing.

The landmark ruling on Tuesday found that China violated The Philippines’ sovereign rights by building artificial islands and by interfering with the smaller nation’s fishing and petroleum exploration in the bitterly contested waters.

“There was no legal basis for China to claim historic rights to resources within the sea areas falling within the ‘nine-dash line’,” the Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration said in a statement, referring to a demarcation line on a 1947 map of the sea, which is rich in energy, mineral and fishing resources.

In the 497-page ruling, judges also found that Chinese law enforcement patrols had risked colliding with Philippine fishing vessels in parts of the sea and caused irreparable damage to coral reefs with construction work.

China, which boycotted the case brought by the Philippines, has vowed again to ignore the ruling and said its armed forces would defend its sovereignty and maritime interests.

– with Reuters