China Makes Bold Moves in Resource-Rich South China Sea

China has intensified its efforts to assert control over energy-rich regions of the South China Sea.

Beijing’s moves in the contested waterway, where its claims overlap with those of the neighboring Philippines and several other coastal states, have led to increasingly dramatic confrontations for over a year, near features including Second Thomas Shoal and Sabina Shoal.

On Tuesday, the Stanford University-affiliated maritime security group SeaLight reported that a Chinese coast guard vessel conducted an “intrusive patrol” lasting 24 hours at the northeastern part of Reed Bank. This marked the second time within a week that China had deployed a coast guard ship to the area, SeaLight director Ray Powell wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

At Reed Bank in particular, a tabletop about 90 to 170 miles from the Philippine province of Palawan, is a major untapped source of energy. As many as 5.4 billion barrels of oil and 55.1 trillion cubic feet of natural gas could be found beneath waters there, according to a 2013 report from the United States Energy Information Administration.

The U.S. ally began exploring the feature in the 1970s and in 1976 carried out a successful natural gas well test.

However, Chinese intervention led the U.S. ally to suspend its efforts before it could begin drilling commercially.

Beijing’s assertiveness in the South China Sea is not limited to the Philippines.

Fellow ASEAN member state Malaysia has also faced Chinese pressure as it carries out oil exploration within its internationally recognized exclusive economic zone.

The Philippine Inquirer recently shared a leaked diplomatic note China’s foreign ministry sent to Malaysia’s embassy in Beijing in February.

The document reiterated Beijing’s claim over South China Sea features and adjacent waters, stating: “Despite China’s firm opposition, Malaysia continues to carry out unilateral oil and gas exploration and development activities” in the area. China urged Malaysia to cease its activities, accusing it of “infringing on China’s sovereignty”​.”

Despite China’s opposition, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has affirmed that his country would continue its exploration efforts. “What we did in terms of oil exploration is certainly within our waters,” Anwar told reporters Thursday during his Russia visit.

The South China Sea is not only rich in oil and natural gas but is also a vital global trade route, with an estimated one-fifth of the world’s goods passing through its waters.

In 2016, an international tribunal at the Permanent Court of Arbitration ruled in favor of the Philippines in its dispute with China, dismissing Beijing’s sweeping claims under its “nine-dash line.” However, China has refused to acknowledge the ruling and continues to assert control over disputed waters​.

These tensions are further compounded by China’s confrontations with other Southeast Asian neighbors, including Indonesia, Brunei, Vietnam, and Taiwan.

However it is the Philippines, under U.S.-friendly President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., that has been mounted the biggest challenge to Beijing. The country has also been bolstering its military cooperation with the U.S, with whom it shares a seven-decade-old defense treaty.

The Chinese coast guard and Chinese foreign ministry did not immediately respond to written requests for comment.