The research is interesting, and shows that a surprising amount of complexity around the claims was present for more than a hundred years. Legally, the 2016 arb

The research is interesting, and shows that a surprising amount of complexity around the claims was present for more than a hundred years. Legally, the 2016 arbitration was final and non-appealable, so absent some large shift in international jurisprudence, the letter of the law says one thing, yet the situation of the ground is different. There's little reason the two will drift into alignment in the future, because of the reasons the Spratlys are sought in the first place: a prime spot for force projection, proximity to global shipping lanes, and credible rumours of hydrocarbon reserves, in descending order.