Opinion | Washington’s double standards clear as it wades into South China Sea dispute

Washington’s latest policy shift on the South China Sea is hardly surprising. Where it once used to be a neutral third party, it has in recent months begun taking steps to become an active supporter of several claimants.

It is worthwhile noting that the United States is a non-claimant state and not a party to the territorial and maritime disputes between China and Southeast Asian countries Malaysia, Vietnam, the Philippines and Brunei.

Yet, as “lawfare” – or the practice of using legal systems and principles against an opponent to damage or delegitimise them – intensified around the South China Sea issue in the last few months, Washington decided to participate.

In December, Malaysia filed a submission to the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf regarding its claim in the disputed waterway. China, Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam subsequently submitted note verbales to the secretary general of the United Nations, expressing their respective claims and concerns.