The Philippines on Thursday stated it was keen to debate its overlapping prolonged continental shelf (ECS) with Vietnam after Hanoi filed its personal ECS declare earlier than a United Nations physique a day earlier.
Vietnam filed its declare a month after regional neighbor the Philippines made an analogous transfer, Vietnam’s international ministry stated on Thursday.
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The submission of the continental shelf past the present 370 kilometers (200 nautical miles) is to train the rights and obligations of state events in accordance to the maritime framework, the international ministry stated in an announcement.
That is Vietnam’s third submission of an ECS, the assertion added, together with a submission in respect to the north space of the South China Sea or Vietnam’s East Sea and a joint submission with Malaysia in respect to the southern a part of the realm in 2009.
China claims nearly all the South China Sea, together with components claimed by the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam.
Its claims have been invalidated in a 2016 ruling by the worldwide arbitral tribunal. Beijing rejected the arbitral award in favor of the Philippines.
Parts of the strategic waterway, the place $3 trillion value of commerce passes yearly, are believed to be wealthy in oil and pure gasoline deposits, in addition to fish shares.
Hanoi observe verbale
Vietnam additionally despatched a observe verbale to the secretary basic of the United Nations to state Hanoi’s place relating to the Philippines’ comparable submission filed final month, the international ministry stated.
“Vietnam as soon as once more affirms its sovereignty over the Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagos in accordance with worldwide regulation,” it stated. Beneath the UN Conference on the Legislation of the Sea (Unclos), coastal states just like the Philippines are entitled to determine the outer limits of its continental shelf, comprising the seabed and the subsoil of submarine areas, past its 370-km unique financial zone (EEZ) however not exceeding 648 km (350 nm).
On June 14, the Philippines filed a submission earlier than the UN Fee on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS) asking the physique to determine the Philippine’s ECS within the West Philippine Sea, particularly the western Palawan area.
The Division of International Affairs (DFA) took observe of Hanoi’s July 17 submission.
“The Philippines affirms its declare to its prolonged continental shelf within the western Palawan Area in step with its maritime entitlements below UN Conference on the Legislation of the Sea (Unclos), as demonstrated by our ECS submission made on June 14,” the DFA stated in an announcement on Thursday.
Acknowledgment
“Nonetheless, we acknowledge Vietnam’s proper, as a coastal state just like the Philippines, to submit info to determine the outer limits of their continental shelf past 200 nautical miles from the related and lawful baselines from which its territorial sea is measured,” it added.
The DFA stated the Philippines was “prepared to interact” with Hanoi on “attainable methods ahead that might assist obtain a mutually useful resolution to South China Sea points, in accordance with worldwide regulation, notably Unclos.”
In addition to submitting its personal prolonged continental shelf declare on Wednesday, Vietnam additionally protested in opposition to the Philippines’ ECS declare—making it the third nation, after China and Malaysia, to reject Manila’s submission.
Hanoi stated in a observe verbale that it “resolutely rejects” and “can not settle for” the Philippines’ ECS declare, citing overlap with Vietnam’s 370-km continental shelf, which violated its “inherent sovereign rights and jurisdiction.”
However Vietnam reiterated that it was nonetheless open to discussing and negotiating the matter with the Philippines, in accordance with Unclos.
It requested the ECS fee to “chorus from contemplating” the Philippines’ submission “till all of the related points have been resolved by Vietnam and the Philippines.”
In a June 27 diplomatic communication, Malaysia’s everlasting UN mission stated Kuala Lumpur has by no means acknowledged the Philippines’ declare to its japanese state of Sabah.
“The Authorities of Malaysia categorically rejects the Philippines’ Partial Submission on the premise that the Republic of the Philippines’ continental margin is projected from the baselines of the Malaysian state of Sabah,” it stated. “This clearly disregards Malaysia’s indeniable sovereignty over the state of Sabah.”
The Malaysian authorities additional appealed to the UN physique “to not study and qualify” the Philippines’ continental shelf declare. China protest
In Beijing, Chinese language International Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian stated on Thursday that China opposed and protested in opposition to Vietnam’s claims.
He stated Vietnam’s ECS “infringes on China’s territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and pursuits” and violated worldwide regulation, together with the UN Constitution and Unclos, and the bilateral settlement between China and Vietnam on settling their maritime dispute.
Lin additionally repeated China’s protests in opposition to the Philippines’ submission. He stated that below CLCS guidelines, submissions wouldn’t be reviewed if there was an current dispute and the UN physique wouldn’t consider the ECS submissions of Vietnam and the Philippines. “Such submissions wouldn’t have any sensible impact however will solely intensify variations and exacerbate frictions, which is able to by no means assist resolve the disputes,” Lin stated.
However he stated China was dedicated to dealing with the maritime conflicts by way of “dialogue and session.”
PH invoice advances
A bicameral committee of the Philippine Congress on Wednesday accepted a proposed regulation defining the nation’s maritime zones and one of many authors of the invoice on Thursday stated its enactment would strengthen the Philippines’ authorized rights within the West Philippine Sea.
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Negros Occidental Rep. Francisco “Kiko” Benitez stated the proposed Maritime Zones Act would combine worldwide regulation into the nationwide framework and delineate the Philippines’ maritime domains, reminiscent of inner waters and archipelagic waters, territorial seas, contiguous zones, EEZ and ECS. It might increase the Philippines’ assertion of its maritime entitlements over the West Philippine Sea, Benitez stated. —WITH REPORTS FROM REUTERS, CARLA GOMEZ AND INQUIRER RESEARCH
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