Speaking at a forum with foreign correspondents, Aquino said the Philippines is seeking an internationally recognized settlement of the disputes. "This affects not just countries in the region, but countries that have to traverse this particular ocean," he said.
Manila has filed a case with an international tribunal in The Hague challenging China's territorial claims over most of the South China Sea, but Beijing has refused to take part.
"Beyond that, I don't know what else we could do," Aquino said. "The focus is to achieve a solution through peaceful means bound by international law."
China has said that the Philippines' filing of the case could damage relations between the two countries and that it would prefer to settle the dispute bilaterally.
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