Philippine foreign ministry spokesman Charles Jose denied Manila was taking its complaint to a UN 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 recognise 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.
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