The Philippines has said it is taking its maritime territorial dispute with China to an international tribunal in accordance with the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. 

Philippine Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario (L) and Solicitor General Francis Jardeleza are pictured in Manila on Tuesday. (Photo: cnn.com)

In its petition, Manila asserted that China's so-called nine-dash line claim that encompasses virtually the entire East Sea is contrary to UNCLOS and thus, unlawful. Manila asked Beijing to give up these illegal acts and its violations of Philippines’ sovereignty and jurisdiction in pursuant to the 1982 UNCLOS. In his address to the media in Manila on Tuesday, Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario said that the government summoned the Chinese Ambassador to notify the Chinese Government of the Philippines’ decision and to protest China’s claims of the East Sea, including the Philippines’ waters. Manila hopes that the move will result in a long-term solution for the current dispute.