The arbitration concerned the role of historic rights and the source of maritime entitlements in the South China Sea. The Guangzhou Court affirmed the validity of the arbitration clause in the Sales Agreement on February 22, 2012.China states that the Arbitral Tribunal lacks jurisdiction in the case. Feb 19, 2013. Location. Find your regional AAA-ICDR office location. Please click on a city for more details. On 12 July 2016, the Arbitral Tribunal in the South China Sea Arbitration (The Republic of the Philippines v.