"Recto Bank (Reed Bank) the Future Oil Fields of the... " Topic

…Philippines (or China).

"Reed Bank (Lat, 11' – 20"N 116' – 50"E) also know as Recto Bank is a large tablemount in the West Philippine Sea, with an area of 8,866 sq. km and depths between 9 and 45 meters. It includes Nares Bank and Marie Louise Bank.

Although it is within the Philippine Exclusive Economic Zone (Philippine EEZ), economic rights to the are disputed – mainly by the Peoples Republic of China.

The bank is in the northeast quadrant of the Philippine\s Kalayaan Islands claimed territory. The aread is located oof the west coast of Palawan, north of Iroquis reef and the Southern reefs, and east of the northeast part of the Spratly islands. The nearest occupied parts of the Spratly islands are Philippine-occupied Flat Island, Nanshan Island, Ayungin Shoal (or Second Thomas Shoal, and the PRC occupied Mischief Reef…"

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Next place for WW3?

Amicalement
Armand

Not if the Philippines moves into their sphere of interest:

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte announced his "separation" from the United States on Thursday, declaring he had realigned with China as the two agreed to resolve their South China Sea dispute through talks. Duterte made his comments in Beijing, where he is visiting with at least 200 business people to pave the way for what he calls a new commercial alliance as relations with longtime ally Washington deteriorate. "In this venue, your honors, in this venue, I announce my separation from the United States," Duterte told Chinese and Philippine business people, to applause, at a forum in the Great Hall of the People attended by Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli. "Both in military, not maybe social, but economics also. America has lost."

Duterte's efforts to engage China, months after a tribunal in the Hague ruled that Beijing did not have historic rights to the South China Sea in a case brought by the previous administration in Manila, marks a reversal in foreign policy since the 71-year-old former mayor took office on June 30. His trade secretary, Ramon Lopez, said $13.5 USD billion in deals would be signed during the China trip. "I've realigned myself in your ideological flow and maybe I will also go to Russia to talk to (President Vladimir) Putin and tell him that there are three of us against the world – China, Philippines and Russia. It's the only way," Duterte told his Beijing audience. (Reuters)

Another foreign policy failure . Traditionally, the Philippines has loved the US.

JAS