Chinese censors have deleted reports of a small protest against an international ruling that rejected China’s territorial claims over the South China Sea, highlighting Beijing’s efforts to head off any domestic pressure that might force its hand internationally.
The protest follows a ruling by an international arbitration court in The Hague that rejected the basis for Chinese claims to waters in the South China Sea also claimed by the Philippines.
China’s “nine-dash line” delineates most of the sea — an area rich in oil and fish — and runs counter to claims by most of the other nations around it. China refused to participate in its own defence after the case was brought by the Philippines.