'Communist China and Recent Military Showdowns in the South China Sea'

from ensec.........

"For several decades, the countries sharing the coastlines of the South China Sea have been engaged in disputes over the ownership of a series of islands, the Spratly and Paracel Islands.  The availability of offshore oil and gas resources in the islands’ proximity has been the main reason for such territorial disputes.  This reality in a region with growing energy consumption and limited indigenous resources has pitted China, Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam against each other".................READ MORE