Small power politics at play in dispute
By Francis Anthony T. Valentin,
Special Features Writer
THE WEST PHILIPPINE Sea, or South China Sea, is a major trade route, a source of potentially massive oil resources and a home to abundant marine life. It is also the site of the ongoing multiple island and maritime disputes involving China, Taiwan, Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam, and the Philippines. The latter four are members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).