China derides Hague-based tribunal's right to rule on South China Sea
State-controlled media in China has derided the landmark tribunal set to rule on the South China Sea territorial claims on 12 July, calling the Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration a “law-abusing tribunal” that had “widely contested jurisdiction." China's foreign affairs spokesman, Hong Lei, added that the country would "not accept any means of third party dispute settlement or any solution imposed on China." If the tribunal does not rule in China's favour and China flatly refuses to acknowledge it, 12 July could be the start of a long and protracted game between China and the US, with increasing international pressure around the disputed area. Southeast Asian fellow at Center for Strategic and International Studies, Gregory Poling, said: "China believes that over the long run it's inevitably going to win this South China Sea contest (because) the US will be distracted, the Philippines will cut a deal, so it doesn't need to pick a fight. It doesn't need to use force at any given moment; it can always back off and try again."

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An international court will issue a judgement next month on the Philippines' case against China over disputes in the South China Sea. But China's made it clear that it will have none of it. Manila is contesting China's expansive territorial claims in the South China Sea, which the Philippines contends are invalid under international law. China bases its territorial claim on a so-called "nine-dash line" that it has drawn over most of the resource-rich South China Sea. Control of the region is valuable because more than $5 trillion worth of global trade passes through the South China Sea each year, and China has been accused of ramping up tensions over control in recent years , on which it has added airstrips and other military-style installations.

For now, China's staying defiant.

"With regard to territorial issues and maritime delimitation disputes, China does not accept any means of third party dispute settlement or any solution imposed on China," said foreign affairs spokesman Hong Lei in a lengthy statement on Wednesday after the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague said it will be releasing its ruling on July 12. He also said the arbitration tribunal has "no jurisdiction over the case and the relevant subject-matter, and that it should not have heard the case or rendered the award." "The Philippines' unilateral initiation of arbitration breaches international law," he added. China, will work in accordance with international laws to resolve South China Sea disputes directly with relevant parties, Hong said. Should China--as is expected--reject any ruling in favor of the Philippines, it will be just the start of a "long game of international pressure," said Gregory Poling, Southeast Asian fellow at Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington DC. "There is no such thing as an international police force that is going to kick in Beijing's door and make them abide by the ruling," he said. Although almost all arbitration by The Hague result in countries complying due to the opportunity costs "that come as being seen as an international rogue", the eventual outcome would also depend on whether the Philippines and its allies can rally and maintain public and international support over the years to come, said Poling. "This is going to be a whack-a-mole game. China will try again-maybe it's a day after the ruling, maybe it's six months from now and the Philippines and U.S. will need to deter them and this will go on and on and on," said Poling.

A protestor holds a placard at a rally in front of the Chinese Consulate in Manila's financial district on July 7, 2015, denouncing China's claim to most of the South China Sea including areas claimed by the Philippines. Jay Directo | AFP | Getty Images