AN INTERNATIONAL tribunal in The Hague has claimed jurisdiction over a territorial dispute between China and the Philippines, despite objections from Beijing.

The Philippines argues that China’s territorial claims in the South China Sea are invalid under the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and that China should not be allowed to claim territorial waters around some of its reefs and shoals in the Spratly Islands chain.

The tribunal said it had authority to look into seven issues raised by the Philippines against China but added that its jurisdiction over seven others would “need to be considered in conjunction with the merits.”

Claims by six regional nations to islands in the archipelago are complicated by the intervention of the US, which has made two deliberate incursions this year into air space and waters claimed by China.

Chinese and US admirals held a video conference after the latest incident on Thursday.