Philippines taking S. China Sea fight to tribunal

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — The Philippines took a desperate legal step against China’s claims to virtually the entire South China Sea, formally notifying the Asian superpower that Manila is seeking international arbitration to declare Beijing’s moves in the potentially oil-rich waters “unlawful.”

Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario said Tuesday his department summoned Chinese Ambassador Ma Keqing and handed her a note notifying the Chinese government that the Philippines is bringing the countries’ conflicting claims to a tribunal operating under the 1982 U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea. It wants the panel to declare Beijing’s moves in the potentially oil-rich waters unlawful.