According to Grant Newsham, a retired Marine colonel and senior research fellow at the Japan Forum for Strategic Studies, China considers international rulings on maritime disputes as useless. He cited an example of a complaint launched by the Philippines against China at the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in 2013, seeking a judgment on its right to use the South China Sea waters. The PCA dismissed China’s claims in 2016, emphasizing its intrusion on Philippine sovereignty. However, the Chinese government declared that the ruling was a piece of scrap paper and refused to follow it, increasing military presence in the disputed sea. Newsham suggested dealing with China from a position of strength, applying economic, financial, propaganda, and psychological pressure. He also emphasized the need for the US to have its economic, financial, and political house in order to avoid any military conflict with China.