South China Sea New Battle of the Diplomatic Notes among Claimants in 2019-2021

Malaysia's partial submission to the United Nations Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf on its extended continental shelf beyond zoo nm limit made in December 2019 sparked a new legal battle of diplomatic notes on the South China Sea (scs) from claimant States (Brunei, China, Malaysia, the Philippines and Viet Nam) and non-claimant States (Australia, Germany, France, Japan, Indonesia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States). It has greater volume and significance compared to the first exchange of notes in 2009 - 2011. This article examines the impact of diplomatic notes among claimants on the prospect for the peaceful settlement of the maritime disputes in the scs.