South China Sea dispute: Will Beijing make Manila ‘pay a price’ for its latest territorial claim?

A bid by the Philippines to have the United Nations formally recognise the extent of its continental seabed in parts of the disputed South China Sea could encourage similar claims from rival claimant states, observers said.

The UN might not give what Manila wants, but the action will add layers of complexity to the already tangled regional disputes and possibly induce tougher countermeasures from Beijing, they added.