POTENTIAL OIL AND GAS RESERVES KEEP INTERNATIONAL TENSION HIGH OVER CONTESTED SPRATLY ISLANDS
September 1st, 2008
BY DINAH GARDNER
THERE has not been a military clash over the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea since 1988 when China and Vietnam engaged in a brief naval spat over three reefs. Dozens of sailors perished in that conflict.
But as the region's thirst for oil intensifies, nationalistic jostling over this potentially oil-rich archipelago appears to be again on the rise. Analysts are split over whether this will flare up into violence or a whether a regional trend favouring conflict resolution will prevail and the islands will be parcelled up amicably.
China, ...
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