Reed Bank: Next Flashpoint for China and the Philippines in the South China Sea?

Issue & Policy Briefs May 26, 2014, No. 153

The Philippines is seeking to develop the seabed hydrocarbon resources of Reed Bank in the South China Sea, an area under dispute with China. Should Manila put plan to action, Beijing is likely to dispatch enforcement vessels to disrupt such activities. Given the deteriorating bilateral relationship, tensions between the two countries are in danger of escalating to the point of brinkmanship.

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