The Growing Threat From China (The Philippines this time)

strategypage

June 15, 2011:China is telling the Philippines to halt oil exploration in the Spratly Islands, without saying exactly what would happen otherwise. The Philippines has asked the United States to help establish Filipino claims in the Spratly islands. China claims to own any oil and gas in the South China Sea. This claim is not recognized by any international agreement. China is apparently trying to bully other claimants (especially the Philippines and Vietnam) into staying away from these potential assets. All China offers is to "share" these undersea bonanzas. But the implication is that China will get most of the profits, with the other claimants getting little. China insists that the U.S. should stay out of this dispute, as it is not one of the claimants. The quarrel has sparked nationalist passions in both China and the Philippines. The United States has said it will stand by the Philippines, but no details of military cooperation have yet been announced.
The United States has repeated its warning to its citizens (first issued late last year) to exercise caution when visiting the Philippines. Special care should be taken when visiting the Moslem south, particularly Mindanao Island and the Sulu Archipelago.

June 14, 2011: The Philippines will now refer to the South China Sea as the “West Philippines Sea”. This is part of an effort to assert claims to portions of the Spratly Islands that are closer to the Philippines than to China.