The South China Sea Dispute Isn't about Oil, at Least Not How You Think

Apr 25, 2016 | Jeremy Maxie
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The geopolitical context in the South China Sea has evolved considerably on the implications of the territorial disputes on upstream oil and gas development in 2008; however, the fundamental nature of disputes over oil and gas development remains much the same. On April 8, 2016, Hanoi demanded that China National Offshore Oil Company (CNOOC ) remove its Haiyang Shiyou 981 (HD-981) exploratory drilling rig from Vietnam’s territorial waters. This same Chinese-built rig sparked a similar incidents in 2014 and 2015. Despite high-profile incidents such as the ones involving the HD-981 drilling rig, the SCS territorial dispute is not about oil and gas—at least not how you think.