China/Vietnam/South China Sea: 1 Year Later: Reflections on China's Oil Rig 'Sovereignty-Making' in the South China Sea

May 12, 2015 | Ankit Panda, The Diplomat
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One year ago, China’s state-owned China National Offshore Oil Company (CNOOC) moved an exploratory oil rig, Haiyang Shiyou 981 (HD-981), worth an estimated $1 billion, into waters within Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone. The incident sparked a major bilateral crisis between the two countries—both of whom claim the disputed Paracel Islands. In hindsight, the event marked the start of China’s attempts to change the status quo in the South China Sea by committing its civilian and non-military assets to disputed areas.