China appears interested in Benham Rise, even if the United Nations has awarded the 13-million-hectare undersea region as part of our continental shelf and exclusive economic zone (EEZ). The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) awarded Benham Rise to the Philippines in 2012, following years of filing the necessary documentations. It was Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana who revealed that Chinese survey ships stayed in Benham Rise for three months, although the Chinese insist that their ship made an innocent passage on international waters.

Mercene, F. (2017, March 17). Why China needs Benham Rise (1). Manila Bulletin, p. 15.