Here is another one: https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/04/09...2-chinese-missile-attack-craft-in-west-ph-sea
Duterte originally said he would go to war with China over this.... Then said the Philippines wouldn't confront China over this...... Now........
China is our friend https://www-aljazeera-com.cdn.amppr...ls-in-disputed-south-china-sea-as-us-bolsters
For the methane hydrates, hydrocarbons, fish. If you read the article they mention the exploration drilling for “fire ice”. A massive source of energy. A source so humongous that some people are extremely worrried..
Is the sea deep enough in that region to create enough pressure to keep the methane in clathrate form?
This might help... It’s worth checking on Google Earth. There is deep water in the South China Sea / West Philippine Sea region. This is interesting... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/soc...861400-cubic-metres-natural-gas-flammable-ice
The picture I had in my head was mostly continental shelf, I picked that up from sea level and human migration maps in the past but I've obviously mentally extended it, I hadn't realised the South China Sea was quite that deep.
Google Earth is pretty good for bathymetry. I think the data is supplied by NOAA. You can clearly see the plate boundaries either side of the Philippines. The darker the blue the deeper the water. Note the trench running down the east side of the Archie Playgo. “The Manila Trench is an oceanic trench in the Pacific Ocean, located west of the islands of Luzon and Mindoro in the Philippines. The trench reaches a depth of about 5,400 metres (17,700 ft), in contrast with the average depth of the South China Sea of about 1,500 metres (4,900 ft).”