South China Sea: Lots of Oil, Lots of Uncertainty

Oct 9, 2014 | Emilia David, CNBC
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The South China Sea is expected to hold billions of barrels of oil and trillions of cubic feet of gas, but some energy firms are tentative about exploring the region. And for now at least, they seem likely to stay that way.

Energy analysts are cautioning companies to stay away from the highly contested body of water that lies between China, the Philippines and Vietnam. China claims to have energy rights over a much larger section of the sea—more or less all of it—than is recognized internationally, and it has put forth an increasingly assertive physical presence in the region this year.