Hong Kong ( CNN ) -- The Philippines raised the stakes in its maritime territorial dispute with China by announcing Tuesday it is taking the case to an international tribunal . The two Asian nations have been at loggerheads over China 's claims of sovereignty over large swathes of the South China Sea , one of several tense disagreements between Beijing and its neighbors over waters in the region . Read more : Why China wo n't turn the other cheek over foreign policy . `` The Philippines has exhausted almost all political and diplomatic avenues for a peaceful negotiated settlement of its maritime dispute with China , '' Philippine Foreign Minister Albert del Rosario said Tuesday . As a result , Manila is challenging China 's claims , which include the waters off the west coast of the Philippines , at an international arbitration tribunal , citing the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea . Read more : Asean Chief : South China Sea risks becoming 'Asia 's Palestine ' The state-run Chinese news agency reported the announcement by the Philippines on Tuesday but did n't carry an immediate response from Beijing . Other countries , like Vietnam and Malaysia , also lay claim to parts of the South China Sea , a 1.3 million square-mile patch of the Pacific Ocean dotted with hundreds of largely uninhabited islands and coral atolls . The area is a fertile fishing ground and is believed to hold large oil and gas reserves under its seabed . Tensions between China and the Philippines soared last year during a naval standoff over a remote rocky outcrop in a disputed part of the sea . That crisis lasted months and stoked fears of an open conflict before the Philippines withdrew its ships , citing stormy weather . Read more : How U.S. can help avert Asia crisis . Analysts say China is trying to solidify its claims of `` indisputable sovereignty '' over most of the South China Sea by conducting regular maritime patrols in the area . It is using a similar approach in its heated dispute with Japan over set of small islands in the East China Sea . The United States is treading a delicate path amid the various territorial tensions in the region . On Sunday , Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Qin Gang warned United States to `` be careful with its words '' after Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Washington opposes `` any unilateral actions that would seek to undermine Japanese administration '' of the disputed islands in the East China Sea . Clinton had reiterated the U.S. policy that it does n't take a position on the ultimate sovereignty of the islands . As recently as last week , Xinhua reported that Chinese surveillance vessels were carrying out regular missions in the South China Sea . The Xinhua report cited Liu Cigui , director of the State Oceanic Administration , as saying that China would continue the patrols `` to secure the nation 's maritime rights and interests '' in areas it claims as its territorial waters . CNN 's Elizabeth Joseph in Hong Kong contributed to this report .
Manila says it is running out of options in its dispute with Beijing . It says it will challenge China 's claims to the South China Sea at a tribunal . It cites the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea . China is involved in territorial disputes with several of its neighbors .