A note on the US–Philippines shiprider agreement: a Chinese perspective

Against the backdrop of intensifying US–China strategic competition, the United States has increasingly repositioned its Coast Guard as a forward instrument of geopolitical engagement in the South China Sea. The proposed US–Philippines Shiprider Agreement would authorize US Coast Guard personnel to conduct maritime law enforcement operations within waters claimed by the Philippines as its exclusive economic zone. The essential feature of the Shiprider Agreement lies in the coastal state’s transfer of partial jurisdiction over its territorial sea and exclusive economic zone to the United States. However, this mechanism raises profound legitimacy dilemmas when applied to the disputed waters of the South China Sea. Although the agreement may enhance the Philippines’ maritime law enforcement capacity in the short term and provide a veneer of legitimacy for US actions, it not only faces legal challenges under international law concerning the transfer of sovereign rights, but also risks systematically destabilizing the existing balance in the South China Sea, obstructing regional cooperative processes, and ultimately posing threats to the peace, stability, and sustainable development of the blue economy in the region.