Jojo Bejo

The West Philippine Sea. The new game of claim, capture, and control.

With China’s announcement of controlling navigation in the South China Sea, countries in the region are scrambling to keep their control over the area. I have felt the effects of this dispute across Asia and even internationally as countries struggle to maintain a balance between national interests and international law.

In particular, we can see many players in the game as being on a losing streak—Vietnam, Malaysia, Philippines, Brunei, and Taiwan all see their national interest suffering as they lose ground in this game. But there are also some who are doing well for themselves while others are struggling—China is probably one of these ‘winners’ because it holds nautical sovereignty over most of the sea area; Indonesia has maintained.

Why Should We Care About the WPS?

As the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) refuted China’s claim on sovereign rights over the disputed waters, many remain deeply concerned about China’s actions in the sea. The South China Sea dispute has been ongoing for decades now and still continues to cause complications in the region. But what is often overlooked is that our oil reserves lie within this area, which makes it even more imperative for us to care about our territorial interests before it becomes too late.

Disputes Over the WPS and Its Mineral Wealth

The South China Sea dispute has been an ongoing issue between China and countries such as Vietnam, the Philippines, and Taiwan for decades. And now that this is a hot-button issue in the international community with stakes that are both physical and economic, it has left many people wondering what to do about it. While it might seem overwhelming to some, there are several steps they can take to protect themselves from losing out on this lucrative opportunity — one of which is by turning their attention towards the West Philippine Sea (WPS), which represents the easternmost part of South China Sea.

The WPS is really only one disgruntled group of islands. Although it has been mostly disputed by China and the Philippines for years now, it also has mineral wealth that is worth billions of dollars. Hence, this dispute is significant not only for the territorial and sovereignty issues in the area, but also for its economic value.

With regards to physical geographical areas, the West Philippine Sea (RPC) encompasses nearly 70% of all oil reserves in the South China Sea. This area is important to the Philippines, as it supplies much of our energy needs — i.e. 50% of Japan’s oil comes from our offshore fields in the West Philippine Sea.

With regards to economic value, the WPS also has several highly prized and rare minerals, such as titanium and rare earth elements (REE), which are valued at more than $1 trillion. Among these are about 47 kinds of REEs, which are used in industries such as wind turbines, magnetic recording media and electric automobiles.

The South China Sea: A Brief History of Territorial Disputes and Sovereignty Claims

Claims over the West Philippine Sea (WPS) and its vast mineral resources are at the forefront of current headlines about territorial disputes in Asia. Islands such as Huangyan Island have been contested, and nations such as Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia, Brunei Darussalam, and China are currently engaged in territorial disputes. The United Nations Convention on Law of Sea limits each country to a 12-mile exclusion zone from an island or under its control in their 200-mile economic zones. This paper will explore the history of territorial disputes between nations over islands within WPS and provide background information to help readers better understand why this region is so important – both economically for Asia Pacific’s heavy energy consumers and politically.

UNCLOS at the Heart of Maritime Disputes in Southeast Asia

UNCLOS, which stands for United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, is one of the major causes for many territorial disputes in Southeast Asia. It’s been present for about 40 years now and has influenced international law to a great degree. This article, it’ll be explored how this has led to multiple territorial disputes. The economic resources in this region will be discussed. It’s estimated to be between $1 trillion to $5 trillion based on estimates from EIA, the Energy Information Administration. This huge range simply shows how much oil and gas is still left unused. It’s over 100 million barrels of oil that are still used today. It’s a massive wealth of resources that is left untapped. Regardless of its size, the WPS is still an important resource for energy consumers across Asia, and as these countries become competitors, they’re going to come into more conflict with one another.

The South China Sea dispute has been ongoing for decades now and still continues to cause complications in the region. But what is often overlooked is that our oil reserves lie within this area, which makes it even more imperative for us to care about our territorial interests before it becomes too late.