exclusive economic zone

An Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) is a maritime area defined under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), extending up to 200 nautical miles from a coastal state's baseline. Within its EEZ, the coastal state has sovereign rights for exploring, exploiting, conserving, and managing natural resources, whether living or non-living, of the waters superjacent to the seabed and of the seabed and its subsoil. It also has jurisdiction with regard to establishing and using artificial islands, installations, and structures; marine scientific research; and the protection and preservation of the marine environment. Recent news highlights the significance of EEZs in geopolitical disputes, particularly in the South China Sea and around Taiwan. Negotiations between Japan and the Philippines to delimit their respective EEZs and continental shelves have sparked tensions with China, which asserts its own claims in the region. Furthermore, the operational readiness of naval forces, such as Malaysia's, in securing their EEZs is crucial, as underscored by discussions around military modernization and defense capabilities in these vital maritime areas.