HANOI, Vietnam. Vietnam has expressed its willingness to engage in discussions with the Philippines to resolve overlapping claims to the continental shelf in the South China Sea. This diplomatic gesture comes as a notable contrast to China’s increasingly assertive measures to reinforce its claims in the contested waters.
Vietnam’s Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesperson, Pham Thu Hang, announced on Thursday that Vietnam is prepared to enter into negotiations with the Philippines to find a mutually beneficial solution. “Vietnam stays ready to discuss with the Philippines to seek and achieve a solution that is mutually beneficial for both countries,” she stated, as reported by the official Vietnam News Agency.
This development follows the Philippine government’s recent request to a United Nations body to formally recognize its rights to an undersea continental shelf extending from its western coast into the South China Sea. This area includes the hotly contested Spratly group of islands. If granted, this recognition would grant the Philippines exclusive rights to exploit undersea resources in the region.
The potential overlap in claims involves several coastal states, including Vietnam, due to their geographical proximity in the strategic waterway. Philippine officials have reiterated their commitment to resolving these issues through dialogue based on the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which provides legal guidelines for defining coastal states’ territorial waters.
Under UNCLOS, coastal states have exclusive rights to exploit resources within their continental shelf, which can extend up to 350 nautical miles (648 kilometers). These rights include authorizing and regulating drilling activities.
The Philippines’ Department of Foreign Affairs revealed that it submitted information to the U.N. Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf regarding its undersea shelf in the South China Sea after more than 15 years of scientific research. Antonio Lagdameo, the Philippines’ permanent representative to the U.N., highlighted the importance of this move, stating it “can reinvigorate efforts of states to demonstrate their readiness to pursue UNCLOS processes in the determination of maritime entitlements and promote a rules-based international order.”
Both Vietnam and the Philippines’ positions stand in opposition to China’s extensive claims over the South China Sea based on historical assertions. Alongside these two nations, Malaysia, Brunei, and Taiwan also lay claims to parts of the waters, a vital global trade route.
The region has seen escalating tensions and hostilities, particularly between China and the Philippines. Incidents involving Chinese coast guard ships and suspected militia vessels using aggressive tactics against Philippine vessels have resulted in injuries, damage to boats, and heightened diplomatic strains.
In 2012, after a standoff at a disputed shoal, the Philippines took its disputes with China to international arbitration. The resulting 2016 ruling invalidated China’s extensive claims, a decision that Beijing continues to defy.
As Vietnam and the Philippines signal their readiness for dialogue, the international community watches closely, hoping for a peaceful resolution to the complex maritime disputes in the South China Sea.
Si Venus L Peñaflor ay naging editor-in-chief ng Newsworld, isang lokal na pahayagan ng Laguna. Publisher din siya ng Daystar Gazette at Tutubi News Magazine. Siya ay isa ring pintor at doll face designer ng Ninay Dolls, ang unang Manikang Pilipino. Kasali siya sa DesignCrowd sa rank na #305 sa 640,000 graphic designers sa buong daigdig. Kasama din siya sa unang Local TV Broadcast sa Laguna na Beyond Manila. Aktibong kasapi siya ng San Pablo Jaycees Senate bilang isang JCI Senator.
