Vietnam is prepared to engage in discussions with the Philippines to address their overlapping claims to the undersea continental shelf in the South China Sea, as reported by official Vietnamese media on Friday. This diplomatic approach stands in contrast to China’s increasingly assertive actions to assert its claims in the disputed waters.
The Philippine government recently requested formal recognition from a United Nations body of its rights to the undersea continental seabed extending from its western coast into the South China Sea, encompassing the contentious Spratly group of islands, islets, and reefs. If approved, this would grant Manila exclusive rights to exploit undersea resources in the area.
The undersea continental shelf claimed by the Philippines may intersect with those claimed by other coastal states such as Vietnam, which is situated across the strategic waterway. Philippine officials have expressed their willingness to engage in talks to resolve such issues in line with the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, an international treaty that establishes legal parameters for defining territorial waters of coastal states.
According to the convention, a coastal state has the exclusive right to exploit resources in its continental shelf, extending up to 350 nautical miles (648 kilometers), including the authority to approve and regulate drilling activities.
Vietnam’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson, Pham Thu Hang, stated in Hanoi on Thursday that Vietnam is “prepared to engage in discussions with the Philippines to reach a mutually beneficial solution for both countries,” as reported by the official Vietnam News Agency.
She emphasized that coastal states have the right to have their continental shelf boundaries acknowledged under the U.N. convention while also respecting the legal and legitimate rights and interests of other nations.
The Philippines provided information to the U.N. Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf regarding the extent of its undersea shelf in the South China Sea, off its Palawan province, following years of scientific research, the Department of Foreign Affairs in Manila announced.
Philippines’ permanent representative to the United Nations, Antonio Lagdameo, noted that this action “can revitalize efforts of states to demonstrate their commitment to pursuing UNCLOS processes in determining maritime entitlements and promoting a rules-based international order.”
The stances taken by the Philippines and Vietnam oppose China’s expansive claim to the entire South China Sea based on historical reasons. Despite this, both Manila and Hanoi have unresolved disputes, limiting their ability to present a united front against China’s actions in the contested waters.
In addition to these three countries, Malaysia, Brunei, and Taiwan also lay claim to the waters, a vital global trade route.
Indonesia has clashed with Chinese coast guard and fishing vessels in the Natuna waters rich in gas on the outskirts of the South China Sea. Indonesia has previously taken aggressive measures to assert its sovereign rights, including firing upon and seizing Chinese fishing boats, prompting protests from Beijing.
Tensions and hostilities in the disputed waters, particularly between China and the Philippines, have escalated, especially at two contested shoals since the previous year. Chinese vessels have engaged in aggressive actions against Philippine navy and coast guard ships using water cannons and dangerous maneuvers, resulting in injuries to Filipino personnel, damage to supply boats, and straining diplomatic relations.
Following a tense standoff between Philippine and Chinese ships near a shoal in 2012, the Philippines took its disputes with China to international arbitration. The arbitration tribunal invalidated China’s claim to the South China Sea in a 2016 ruling. Despite this, Beijing refused to participate in the arbitration, rejected the decision, and continues to defy it.