Before the international court, the Philippines accused China of ignoring the Law of the Sea.

The Philippines has called on an international court to declare China's claims to most of the South China Sea illegal.

The Philippines warns that the integrity of UN maritime laws is being challenged.

Filipinos protest against China's harassment of the Philippines at sea (photo: AFP)

In opening comments at the Hague tribunal on July 8, Philippine Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario said the Philippines sought judicial intervention because China's behavior had become increasingly "aggressive" and negotiations had proved fruitless.

Del Rosario said the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which both the Philippines and China have ratified, should be used to resolve territorial disputes between the two countries.

The Philippine foreign minister made it clear to the court: “The case before you is of great importance to the Philippines, the region and the world... In our view, this case is also of great significance for the integrity of the Convention, and for the structure of the legal order of the seas and oceans.”

China insists it has sovereign rights to almost the entire South China Sea – a strategically important shipping lane through which a third of the world's commercial oil passes.

Mr del Rosario told the Hague court that China's claim to the sea based on "historic rights" was without merit.

According to del Rosario, China's claim of the nine-dash line based on a Chinese map has no basis under international law.

Comments by the Philippine Foreign Secretary were released by his office in Manila on July 8.

China refused to participate in the case and said it was not bound by any rulings made by the court, even though it had ratified the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

The Philippines hopes a favorable ruling will put pressure on China, forcing it to make concessions./.

According to VOV