MANILA, Philippines: The Philippines has formally requested that the United Nations recognize its extended continental shelf in the South China Sea, a move that directly challenges China's expansive territorial claims in the region.

The Department of Foreign Affairs announced last week that the Philippine government has submitted detailed scientific research to the U.N. Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf, seeking to assert its exclusive rights to exploit resources in the area.

The region in question includes the Spratly Islands, a contested chain of islands and reefs claimed by several countries, including China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, and Taiwan. Indonesia has also clashed with Chinese vessels in the nearby Natuna Sea.

"Incidents in the waters tend to overshadow the importance of what lies beneath," said Philippine Foreign Assistant Secretary Marshall Louis Alferez. "The seabed and the subsoil extending from our archipelago up to the maximum extent allowed by UNCLOS hold significant potential resources that will benefit our nation and our people for generations to come."

Alferez emphasized the importance of this submission, stating, "Today, we secure our future by making a manifestation of our exclusive right to explore and exploit natural resources in our extended continental shelf entitlement."

Under the 1982 U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), coastal states have the right to exploit resources within their continental shelf, which can extend up to 350 nautical miles. However, this area may overlap with claims from other countries, including Vietnam. Philippine officials have expressed a willingness to negotiate based on UNCLOS principles to resolve any conflicts.

Philippine permanent representative to the U.N., Antonio Lagdameo, stated that the move "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."

Tensions in the South China Sea have escalated, particularly between China and the Philippines. Chinese coast guard and suspected militia vessels have used aggressive tactics against Philippine ships, resulting in injuries and damaged vessels, straining diplomatic relations.

In 2012, a standoff between Philippine and Chinese ships near a disputed shoal led the Philippines to seek international arbitration. The arbitration panel ruled in 2016 that China's extensive claims in the South China Sea were invalid. However, Beijing rejected the decision and continues to defy it.