Philippines Stands Firm on Sea Dispute with China

The Philippines shrugged off criticism from China on Monday after Beijing slammed the nation for challenging its territorial claims in international courts, in a dispute over resource-rich waters.

Philippine foreign ministry spokesman Charles Jose denied Manila was taking its complaint to a U.N. tribunal as a way to put China under foreign pressure.

"Our position is that arbitration is the durable solution," Jose told AFP.

The Philippines infuriated China when it filed a formal complaint to the Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague in March asking it to rule on China's claims over most of the South China Sea.

China refused to recognize the process and has until next week to reply to the Philippines' complaint.

Jose said China's decision not to participate would not affect proceedings and the tribunal may decide the case by "early 2016".

"We take note that China has officially stated its position on the matter of arbitration... We also note the points raised in the (Chinese) paper," he said.

"Its underlying goal is not... to seek peaceful settlement of the South China Sea issue, but rather, by resorting to arbitration, to put political pressure on China," the Chinese foreign ministry said in the paper published by the official Xinhua news agency Sunday.

China's claims over the South China Sea conflict with the territorial claims of the Philippines as well as Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam.

Just before the U.N. complaint was filed, Chinese ships tried to chase away a Philippine ship on a resupply mission to Filipino soldiers stationed on a marooned ship serving as an outpost in the disputed waters.

The South China Sea, a major sea lane and fishing ground, which is believed to hold vast mineral resources, has become a flashpoint for maritime territorial tensions.

In recent years, the Philippines has filed repeated diplomatic protests over what it sees as Chinese attempts to strengthen its claim to the disputed waters.