In the past several months China has been constructing a man made "island." A large mass of sand, rock, and coral in the area is being dug out of the water and built up in order to make an airstrip and harbor. The location of the airstrip is in the South China Sea. The Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam are just few of the countries that surround the South China Sea. Recently countries in the are have been disputing who has rights to uses the waters. The debate is over who has rights to the fishing area and who can tap into the large oil and natural gas deposits in the area. That is why China's presence in the sea threatens the territory debate. Many have made projections based on satellite images that the airstrip will most likely be used for a military base and harbor. The island is being built on top of Fiery Cross Reef and is expected to be two miles long and about 980 ft wide. In a statement the a Chines official stated that China had "sovereign rights" and the airstrip was "ligament."
As technology progresses it is important to think ahead to problems that could occur. The new technologies developed in oil and gas drilling continue to advance, and many of these advancements will lead drilling to the oceans. Then there is the question of where countries can begin sea drilling.
Sourcehttp://www.cnn.com/2014/11/24/world/asia/china-south-china-sea/index.html?hpt=hp_bn2
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