The Chinese government has ordered its propaganda outlets in high gear to denounce a decision against their territorial claims in the South China Sea by the Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague, calling the case “null and void” because it does not support China’s claim to exclusive control of almost the entire sea. “The award is null and void and has no binding force,” the Chinese Foreign Ministry said following the announcement of the verdict in Philippines vs. China, which found that China’s claims to the waters within the “nine-dash line,” a Chinese government term for the territory they claim. The waters in the “nine-dash line” include the exclusive territory of Brunei, Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Indonesia, though Indonesia does not claim any land formations within the territory in question. Echoing the Foreign Ministry, President Xi Jinping is quoted in state outlet Xinhua as asserting that “the South China Sea Islands have been China’s territory since ancient times” and that China’s activities in the region “will not be affected” by the case, which is binding under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). “China has always been a guardian of international rule of law and of