China drills in disputed South China Sea while US continues to conduct routine transit

Amid tensions over disputed waters, China on April 9 drilled deep in the South China Sea in a bid to retrieve sediment core from the seabed. According to the Xinhua news agency, the Chinses scientists on a maritime research vessel used China’s homemade “Sea Bull II” drilling system to obtain a sediment core 231 metres long at a depth of 2,060 metres. The state media informed the system can help explore natural gas hydrate resources in the seabed, which are basically the solid ice-like crystals formed from a mixture of methane and water that are touted as a promising source of energy. 

The exact location where the drilling took place is still unclear, however, it is worth mentioning that around 90 per cent of the South China Sea is claimed by Beijing as its territorial water. Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, Vietnam and Brunei also lay claim to parts of the sea, which has vast oil and gas potential. However, tensions in recent years have escalated as Chinese incursions in the South China Sea have massively increased. 

Tensions in South China Sea 

On Sunday, the US Navy strike group also entered the disputed waters after the president of the Philippines, a US ally, voiced concern about the Chinese vessels massing in Manila’s 320km exclusive economic zone. The Philippines has also discovered “illegally built structures on features in the Union Banks which is a series of reefs in the South China Sea. The diplomatic war of words between China and the Philippines stemmed last month from a fleet of more than 200 Chinese ships after parking at Whitsun Reef off the Philippines is now scattered across the Spratly Islands. 

Amid the tensions, the US guided-missile destroyer USS John S. McCain, on the other hand, conducted a Taiwan Strait Transit on April 7. The American military has warned that China is probably accelerating its timetable for capturing control of Taiwan. The democracy of the island has been the chief source of tension between Washington and Beijing for decades. The worry about Taiwan comes as China wields new strength from years of military buildup. China has become more aggressive with Taiwan and more assertive in sovereignty disputes in the South China Sea.

(Image: Twitter/AP)