On Saturday, June 15, the Philippines submitted a claim to the UN for an extended continental shelf (ECS) in the South China Sea, a body of water in which it has been embroiled in escalating maritime conflicts with China.
The foreign ministry’s assistant secretary for maritime and ocean affairs, Marshall Louis Alferez, said in a statement that “today we secure our future by manifesting our exclusive right to explore and exploit natural resources in our ECS entitlement.”
Nearly the whole South China Sea is claimed by China; however, portions are also claimed by the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan, and Vietnam. A portion of the strategic waterway, through which US$3 trillion worth of trade passes yearly, is thought to have abundant natural gas and oil reserves in addition to healthy fisheries.
Beijing disagrees with the Permanent Court of Arbitration’s 2016 ruling that China’s broad accusations lack legal support. China’s embassy in Manila did not immediately answer an inquiry regarding Saturday’s UN filing.
The Philippines said it was using an entitlement under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea to establish the outer limits of its continental shelf, comprising the seabed and subsoil of the submarine areas up to 350 nautical miles.
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