Energy Dominance in the South China Sea: Legal and Geopolitical Battles over Strategic Resources

Observing the geopolitics of the South China Sea continues with an increasingly delicate and complex dilemma that involves complicated and sensitive territorial claims presented by countries such as China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, and Indonesia. This is also tied to the economic and social implications, especially on the region’s energy resources, mainly natural gas and oil reserves. The Nine-Dash Line, which China claimed, and its move to militarise and expand several coral reefs into artificial islands within the waters have further increased the tensions. China’s ignorance and defiance of international laws, namely the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the decision by the 2016 Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA), hinder peace in that region. The involvement of other foreign parties, like the US, Japan, and Australia, over the matter exacerbates the condition. This article investigates the issue with the insight of energy law over the matter of bountiful energy resources that can be found and the potential roles of all involved parties to come to an agreement to find solutions to the conflict. The analysis emphasises the model of joint development agreements as a means to properly manage the resources to ensure mutual benefits, prosperity, and development, uphold international maritime law, and create a collaborative framework that would result in peace within the territory.