In several one-on-one interviews Tuesday with U.S. news outlets, Philippine President Benigno Aquino III said he was perplexed and concerned about Chinese actions related to the hotly contested South China Sea.

Speaking in separate interviews to The New York Times and Associated Press on the sidelines of the United Nations assemblage of world leaders, Aquino said he was concerned about China's decision to send survey ships into the area. That's where several nations are vying for control of the resource-rich waters.

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Chinese survey ships may foretell more aggressive moves to drill for oil in the disputed region and intimidate other nations in the area that is a major world shipping lane, according to Aquino.

Strongly allied with the U.S. by treaty, the Philippines has challenged China's maritime claims in international court. The two nations have been locked in a dispute centering on control of Scarborough Shoal near the Philippines coast since 2011.

China says old maritime charts show the area belonged to that nation. The Philippines has its own set of maps from as early as the 12th Century showing no Chinese sovereignty south of Hainan Island.

China and the Philippines more recently locked horns in May over the Johnson South Reef that is part of the Spratley Islands.

While no match militarily for China, the Philippines is attempting to use the U.N. Convention of the Law of the Sea it signed along with China and other nations to spell out China's claims in the area. A ruling, however, is not expected for at least two years, a lawyer representing the Philippines told AP.

Due to treaty obligations, the U.S. has become entangled in the issue. So, too, even more directly have Malaysia, Taiwan, Vietnam and Brunei, who each have sparred with China over portions of the South China Sea. China and Japan have tangled over islands in the East China Sea.

While China has asked for bilateral talks with the Philippines over its claims, Aquino told The New York Times that option was not on the table. Aquino said the disputes were multilateral and should be solved multilaterally.

Furthermore, Aquino said relations between the Philippines and China had become confusing. The two nations trade, yet China has a Philippines travel advisory intended to keep Chinese citizens away from the island nation, he said.

Characterizing the situation as running from hot to cold, Aquino said the Philippines did not know what to make of conflicting Chinese sentiments.

"We will confess," he said to The New York Times, "we don't understand some of the messages sometimes. We're not sure."

TagsEast China Sea dispute, UN, Benigno Aquino III, maritime dispute