A Vietnam-China standoff over an oil rig exemplifies only a part of the interlocking interests—from the resources under its seabed to the trade routes on its surface—that trouble the waters of the South China Sea.
The sea is believed to contain significant resources, but disputes over its islands, reefs and atolls—control of which gives the holder right to extract hydrocarbons and manage fisheries in the waters around them—have made it hard both to gauge the scope of its riches as well as to exploit them.
China claims the sea nearly in its entirety, seeing it as its historic waters, a source of energy and protein for a rapidly growing country, a lifeline for its commerce and a buffer zone against the U.S. military. The sea is claimed in parts by five other governments.
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bljworldwide via CHINA US Focus http://ift.tt/1jXyL3E
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