China/South China Sea: Why the South China Sea Has More Oil Than You Think

May 23, 2016 | Hellenic Shipping News
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With all of China’s geopolitical posturing in the South China Sea, many are claiming that Beijing’s aim to control more than 80% of the troubled waterway is purely based on national sovereignty claims. Others claim that Beijing’s land reclamation and artificial island building in the region, including its illegal seizure of Scarborough Shoal from the Philippines in 2012, is not only based on sovereignty issues but also potential oil and gas resources. Meanwhile, most believe that the majority of these hydrocarbon resources are natural gas instead of oil.