The South China Sea must follow the rules-based maritime order

This position holds that the South China Sea must be governed by the rules-based maritime order and freedom of navigation. Its advocates rely on UNCLOS, the arbitral ruling and exclusive economic zones, describe Chinese water cannon use, harassment and incursions as illegal coercion, and call for a code of conduct.

Western and allied outlets carry it, thirty-four publishers in all. It appears in the dispute over territorial and maritime claims in the South China Sea, where it is framed as a defence of the rules-based maritime order. In recent events its voice is the United States, which criticised China's actions around Scarborough Reef as based on dubious pretexts and backed the Philippines.

No competing position is recorded against it. China's side appears in the events themselves: Beijing accused the Philippines of provocations and of stirring up trouble, and warned it to halt them or face consequences. The events of recent months show a Chinese coast guard ship ramming a Philippine vessel, water cannon use, Chinese military drills near a disputed shoal and joint drills by the US, Japan and the Philippines.