Philippines Ready To Discuss With Vietnam On South China Sea Issues

The inauguration of the new outpost of the Philippines in the South China Sea. (Twitter/@coastguardph)

JAKARTA - The Philippines welcomes Vietnam's recognition of Manila's submission to the United Nations to secure its rights over the expanded continental takeoff in the South China Sea, its foreign ministry said, adding the country was ready to hold talks with Hanoi to resolve various issues.

"We are ready to involve Vietnam in various possible ways in the future that will help achieve mutually beneficial solutions to South China's marine issues," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Monday.

Last month, the Philippines filed a claim to the United Nations over the expanded continental takeoff to gain recognition of its rights outside the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) as far as 200 nautical miles in the South China Sea.

It is known, the UN international marine law convention allows coastal countries to build continental takeoffs that include the seabed and land beneath it outside its EEZ, but do not exceed 350 nautical miles from its territory.

Vietnam says the country is willing to negotiate with Manila, as the country wants to take action in line with the interests of the two countries.

Meanwhile, China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs last month said it was against the Philippines' "party" filing, which it said violated its sovereign and jurisdictional rights.

Vietnam and the Philippines have overlapping claims in the disputed waterways, where China, Brunei and Malaysia also have claims.

The Bamboo Curtain country claims almost the entire South China Sea, a ship trade route worth more than $3 trillion per year.

In 2016, a Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague said China's claims had no legal basis, a decision Beijing rejected.