In a continuation of the international conflict regarding territorial disputes in the South China Sea, the Philippines brought an action against China for damaging the region's ecology, in part by dredging the seafloor and constructing artificial islands. Arguing in front of a tribunal of the International Court of Justice in The Hague, the Philippines alleged that China has encroached on its exclusive economic zone, allowed endangered species to be harvested, and destroyed reefs. Observers have expressed concern about the environmental impacts of China's recent island-building activities and associated ocean bottom dredging. China has refused to appear in The Hague, saying it prefers bilateral negations with the Philippines. For the full story, see http://asiancorrespondent.com/134182/the-potentially-disastrous-environmental-cost-of-the-south-china-sea-dispute/.