After exhausting all other means of an amicable settlement over South China sea, Philippines finally decided to drag china before an UN tribunal to thwart ‘Chinese’ monopoly claim over the sea and its resources.

The Philippines is seeking help in its row with China in a long-standing dispute over territory in the the South China Sea.

The Philippines is calling on the UN to moderate the dispute, which has gone unresolved for years. Here’s more.
On Tuesday the Philippines asked the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea to play mediator with China.

The Chinese regime has claimed a significant portion of the South China Sea. For years it has been in conflict with the Philippines over islands believed to sit atop rich reserves of oil and natural gas.

[Albert del Rosario, Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary]:
“The Philippines is requesting the arbitral tribunal to issue an award that, among other, declares that China’s maritime claims in the South China Sea based on its so-called nine-dash line are contrary to UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea) and invalid.”

Due to the Philippines’ size and political authority, it has had a hard time standing up to its big Asian neighbor. The Chinese regime has resisted calls to settle the dispute on a multilateral basis. Instead, it is insisting on a one-on-one approach so that it can exercises leverage over individual countries.

The Philippines is not backing down.

[Albert del Rosario, Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary]:
“The Philippines has exhausted almost all political and diplomatic avenues for a peaceful negotiated settlement of its maritime dispute with China. On numerous occasions, dating back to 1995, the Philippines has been exchanging views with China to peacefully settle these disputes. To this day, a solution is still elusive.”

And the Philippines is not the only one that is in dispute with China over the South China Sea. Taiwan, Vietnam, Brunei, and Malaysia all dispute China’s claims.

There has been no immediate response from Beijing on the Philippines’ request.