Hong Kong (CNN) — An international tribunal in the Hague ruled in favor of the Philippines Tuesday, concluding that there was no legal basis for China to claim historic rights to resources within South China Sea areas falling within the '"nine-dash line."

In a statement released straight after the ruling, the Philippines government said it "strongly affirms its respect for this milestone decision as an important contribution to ongoing disputes in the South China Sea."

The Philippines and China have long been at odds over Beijing's claims of sovereignty over large swathes of the South China Sea, and Manila took its fight to the Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration in 2013.

China had refused to participate in the case, which marks the first time an international court has ruled on the region's mess of overlapping claims.

China's "nine-dash line" extends hundreds of miles to the south and east of its island province of Hainan.