Tensions Rise in South China Sea as Philippines Pushes for Energy Exploration
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Amid escalating tensions between China and the Philippines over territorial disputes in the South China Sea, the Philippines has expressed its intention to initiate a new energy exploration project in the region. Faced with the anticipation of increased conflict, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. called for a ‘new solution.’
According to Reuters on the 18th, President Marcos, during an interview with local media while visiting Japan for the Japan-ASEAN Special Summit, stated that tensions in the South China Sea have not only failed to diminish but have instead increased in recent months. He warned that an increasingly assertive China poses a real challenge to neighboring Asian countries.
The Philippines, under President Marcos, is seeking to reduce its dependence on fossil fuels and coal and transition to liquefied natural gas (LNG). For the Philippines, the South China Sea is crucial not only in terms of territorial sovereignty but also in terms of economy and energy security. More than half of the world’s traded LNG passes through the South China Sea, which also has vast reserves of natural gas.
The Philippines and China have been disputing over the right to develop natural resources in the strategic South China Sea for decades. The Philippines announced in May that it would resume discussions with China on joint exploration of oil and gas resources in the South China Sea, but President Marcos said, “Negotiations with China have made little progress and are still at a standstill.” He emphasized the peaceful resolution of the South China Sea dispute and said, “A new solution is needed.”
Earlier this month, the Philippines claimed that a Chinese coast guard vessel targeted and fired water cannons at its fishing boats near Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea, causing damage to the vessels’ communication and navigation equipment. In response, China announced on the 10th that it had taken control measures, stating that four Philippine ships, including a Coast Guard vessel, had intruded into the waters near the Second Thomas Shoal in the Spratly Islands without Chinese government approval. President Marcos characterized the recent clashes between the two nations as a ‘serious escalation’ and emphasized the commitment to ‘defend Philippine rights in the South China Sea..”
China has drawn a U-shaped nine-dash line in the South China Sea, claiming about 90% of the sea as its territorial waters, and is in a territorial dispute with some ASEAN member countries, including the Philippines. The Philippines filed a lawsuit with the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA), and in 2016, the PCA ruled that China’s territorial claims had no legal basis under international law, but China has been ignoring it. At the end of August, China announced a new ‘standard map’ with a ten-dash line, further exacerbating the conflict.
By. Lina Jung
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