13-7-2024 (MANILA) The Philippines’ recent submission to the United Nations (UN) to formally establish the outer limits of its continental shelf in the disputed South China Sea has sparked concerns and drawn backlash from neighboring countries, particularly China, Malaysia, and Vietnam. While the move is aimed at consolidating the country’s maritime interests in the contested waterway, it has also raised the stakes in an already tense region.
On June 15, the Philippines lodged a submission with the UN, seeking recognition for its claim to an extended continental shelf off the western island of Palawan, covering the hotly-contested Spratly Islands. Manila asserted its entitlement to establish the outer limits of its continental shelf up to 350 nautical miles, the maximum allowed under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
China, which claims almost all of the South China Sea based on its controversial nine-dash line, swiftly condemned the Philippines’ action. In a diplomatic note, Beijing called on the UN not to review the submission, claiming it infringes on China’s “sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction” in the region.
However, the Philippines’ move has also sparked concerns from fellow Southeast Asian nations. Malaysia has taken a particularly firm stance, submitting its own diplomatic note to the UN, categorically rejecting Manila’s claim. The Malaysian government argues that the extended continental margin in the Philippines’ submission was projected from the baselines of the Malaysian state of Sabah, which has been a long-standing territorial dispute between the two countries.
Vietnam, another claimant in the South China Sea, has adopted a more conciliatory approach. While expressing its willingness to engage in talks with the Philippines to seek measures that align with both countries’ interests, Hanoi has refrained from escalating tensions.
Despite the objections from neighboring countries, analysts believe any blowback is unlikely to escalate beyond stern words into punitive measures. They suggest that Manila would have anticipated and factored in these reactions when deciding to take the step at the UN, as the move is aimed at consolidating the country’s maritime interests amid heightened tensions in the contested waterway, particularly with China.
“The Philippines is making a strategic move to challenge China’s ‘excessive’ maritime claims,” said Dr. Andrea Chloe Wong, a non-resident research fellow at the Institute for Indo-Pacific Affairs. “It is also an important measure for it to protect its territorial integrity and maritime rights amid Chinese intrusions at sea.”
Analysts also point out that the Philippines likely chose to act now due to the opportune domestic and regional climate. The country’s warm relations with the United States and a push for local legislation to declare its maritime rights and entitlements have created a favorable environment for asserting its claims.
However, the move presents challenges for the United States, which has been jostling with China for regional influence. While Washington is expected to back its long-standing ally, the Philippines, it will not want conditions in the South China Sea to escalate into conflict, especially with an increasingly assertive Beijing.
“This is a very complex, triangular relationship between the US, Philippines, and China,” said Dr. Collin Koh, a senior fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore. “The last thing they want is for something big to happen just because of the Philippines’ submission.”
While the Philippines’ move is a bold assertion of its maritime claims, maritime law experts highlight that the UN is unlikely to process or actively consider the submission due to the objections raised by China and Malaysia. The unresolved territorial disputes between ASEAN members, such as the Philippines and Malaysia, further complicate the matter and hamper their dealings with China in the South China Sea.
