The dispute is over an island chain in the South China Sea, the Spratlys, and the maritime rights to the waters surrounding them. At the heart of the issue is sovereignty, with both China and the Philippines claiming territorial control.

In June of 2015, China announced that the artificial island chain it had been constructing in the South China Sea — in disregard of territorial claims by other Southeast Asian nations such as Vietnam, Taiwan, and Malaysia — would be completed within days. In the year that's followed, the country has built military buildings, ports, and airstrips on the connected atolls.

In October of last year, the U.S. sent the first of what would become a considerable number of warships — and, eventually, even an aircraft carrier — into the South China Sea as a direct challenge to China's claims in the region.

As pretext for involvement in what's a wholly Southeast Asian affair, the U.S. has continuously claimed its allies in the region — notably India and the Philippines, itself — are concerned over China's bold territorial assertions.

As Forbes recently wrote:

"While it is still unclear which way the ICH will rule, one thing is clear: China's aggressive standing in the South China Sea disputes has spooked its neighbors."

But China has made it clear it sees such U.S. involvement as military provocation.

"The South China Sea dispute has been greatly complicated after heavy US intervention," the Global Times editorial states. "Washington…wants to send a signal by flexing its muscles. As the biggest powerhouse in the region, it awaits China's obedience."

Accordingly, China's Maritime Safety Administration announced Monday it would be conducting military exercises in the waters of the South China Sea from July 5 to July 11 — the day before the ICH is set to make its ruling in the case brought before it by the Philippines.