The Philippines on Tuesday filed an arbitration case against China at the United Nations over territorial disputes in the South China Sea. The case challenges the validity of China's claim to almost the entire South China Sea, including areas within the Philippines' 200-mile (370-kilometre) exclusive economic zone, according to a report of DPA. The case was filed before an arbitration tribunal under the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, said Philippines' Foreign Secretary Albert Del Rosario. "The Philippines has exhausted almost all political and diplomatic avenues for a peaceful negotiated settlement of its maritime dispute with China," Del Rosario said. "On numerous occasions, dating back to 1995, the Philippines has been exchanging views with China to peacefully settle these disputes," he said. "To this day, a solution is still elusive. We hope that the arbitral proceedings shall bring this dispute to a durable solution."
