The Philippines opened its case against China before an international arbitration tribunal, saying Beijing is disallowed from exercising its “historic rights” over waters of the South China Sea beyond its entitlement limits under a United Nations convention. In his statement before the tribunal, Philippines’ Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert F. del Rosario cited five claims, adding that the country will be bring these up in oral arguments set for the coming days. “Various maritime features relied upon by China as a basis upon which to assert its claims in the South China Sea are not islands that generate entitlement to an exclusive economic zone or continental shelf” but some are rocks, low-tide elevations or permanently submerged features. None of these features generate entitlement beyond 12 meters, while some do not generate entitlements at all. Under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, Mr. del Rosario said that states are disallowed from extending jurisdiction “over areas beyond the limits of their Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ) or continental shelves,” which are areas within 200 meters of its coasts.

Escaño, E. E., & Tubadeza, K. M. P. (2015, July 9). PHL argues vs China's claims in Hague tribunal. BusinessWorld, p. S1/12.