The historic Award in the South China Sea Arbitration gave much-needed clarity to many of the complex legal issues lying at the heart of the Philippines-China maritime dispute. Often overlooked, however, is the procedural significance of the case. This Comment submits that the South China Sea Arbitration represents a shift towards the use of judicial fact-finding initiatives as a means to overcome the adjudicatory challenges inherent to highly technical and scientific cases where one Party fails or refuses to participate. Even more striking, the Tribunal’s independently acquired facts appear to be the basis for the majority of its conclusions in the Award. This Comment highlights the appropriateness and practicality of the Tribunal’s actions in view of its extraordinary obligation under Article 9 of Annex VII of the UNCLOS to “satisfy itself” that the Philippines’ claims are “well-founded in fact and law”.

中文翻译：

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南海仲裁中的司法实况调查倡议

历史性的奖项南海仲裁为中菲海上争端的核心复杂法律问题提供了急需的澄清。然而，经常被忽视的是案件的程序意义。该评论认为，南海仲裁代表着向使用司法实况调查倡议作为克服一方未能或拒绝参与的高度技术和科学案件所固有的裁决挑战的一种手段的转变。更引人注目的是，法庭独立获得的事实似乎是其裁决中大部分结论的基础。鉴于仲裁庭根据《联合国海洋法公约》附件七第 9 条承担的特殊义务，即“确信”菲律宾的主张“在事实和法律上有充分根据”，本评论强调了仲裁庭行动的适当性和实用性。