NEXT GLOBAL CONFLICT?Has South China Sea ruling set scene for next global conflict?

Hong Kong (CNN)Could an old map bring Asia to the brink of war?

An international tribunal ruled Tuesday that China's nine-dash line -- drawn on a map dating from the 1940s that claims large stretches of the South China Sea -- has no legal basis.

It was an eviscerating verdict for Beijing, which has long claimed it has unique, historical rights to the disputed waters which are rich in resources and a busy thoroughfare for international shipping.

"It will certainly intensify conflict and even confrontation," said Cui Tankui, China's ambassador to the United States, in a speech in Washington.

Analysts say the ruling, which went overwhelmingly in favor of the Philippines, narrows China's wiggle room for negotiation in the dispute.

"It will further escalate nationalist sentiment in a big nation like China," said Wang Jiangyu, law professor with the National University of Singapore.

"In fact, it has immediately forced many of China's moderates to become hawks."