South China Sea: Philippines to explore oil-rich waters amid China tension: ‘it’s quite urgent that we start now’
His comments suggest that energy exploration could well be the next flashpoint in the territorial disputes in the South China Sea, where Beijing has laid a sweeping claim opposed by countries including the Philippines and rejected by an international tribunal in 2016. The Philippines, which imports almost all its fuel requirements, has been trying to start energy exploration in its territorial waters as a key local gas field nears depletion.