Philippine: To Deploy Military Ships To The South China Sea:
Philippines is planning to deploy military ships to the South China Sea to assert the country’s claim over oil deposits in a contested part of the waterway.
- Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has been facing growing domestic criticism for his reluctance to confront China over its activities in Philippine-claimed waters.
South China Sea:
- The South China Sea is an arm of the western Pacific Ocean in Southeast Asia.
- It is south of China, east & south of Vietnam, west of the Philippines, and north of the island of Borneo.
- It is connected by Taiwan Strait with the East China Sea and by Luzon Strait with the Philippine Sea.
- Bordering states & territories: the People’s Republic of China, the Republic of China (Taiwan), the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia, Singapore, and Vietnam.
- This sea holds tremendous strategic importance for its location as it is the connecting link between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean (Strait of Malacca).
- According to the United Nations Conference on Trade And Development (UNCTAD) one-third of the global shipping passes through it, carrying trillions of trade which makes it a significant geopolitical water body.
