"We [the United States] are working diplomatically with each of the parties to try to encourage them to use this decision as the basis… to explore the potential down the road for things like joint development," the State Department official said on Tuesday.
The tribunal’s ruling will allow claimants to work together and agree to divide the legitimately disputed portions for development projects, an approach which has been successful in other places in the world and the region, the State Department official noted.
A number of disputed islands, including the Paracel Islands and the Spratly Islands, are located in the South China Sea. Beijing’s territorial claims to the Spratly Islands, known as Nansha Islands in China, which are believed to be rich in oil and gas reserves, run against those of the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia, Brunei and Vietnam.
