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The development will frustrate China’s attempts to secure ownership of the lucrative zone within its nine dash line, the proportion of the sea bed that Beijing has allocated for itself. In October Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte invited Moscow-based energy company Rosneft to conduct oil and gas exploration in waters the Philippines claims in the South China Sea. The offer was reciprocated by the Russian ambassador to the Philippines, Igor Khovaev, who invited Philippine companies to also “explore oil and gas in Russia together with Russian companies”.

A team from Rosneft went to Manila later that month to discuss the possibility of joint offshore oil exploration with the Philippines Department of Energy. Rosneft, which is half-owned by the Russian government, has also become a major operator of a joint project for gas production and exploration in the Nam Con Son Basin, off the coast of Vietnam. Since 2018, it has also been working with Vietnam to expand gas development projects in Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone, including drilling two new wells in the area. The news comes as a leaked photo given to a Filipino newspaper showed just how elaborate the developments on military bases in the South China Sea have been.

The US and China are joined by Russia in protecting interests in the South China Sea

A fortified island in the South China Sea

Some photographs showed cargo ships and supply vessels, which the newspaper said appeared to be delivering construction materials to the China-controlled islands. Others show runways, hangars, control towers, helipads and radomes as well as a series of multi-storey buildings that China has built on reefs. But, defence analyst Robert Farley outlined in his article for National Interest last year that these bases, while heavily resourced, could have crucial strategic flaws. Firstly, Mr Farley argues that while some of the Chinese-controlled islands are armed with missile systems, they may not be in the best environment to be fully effective. READ MORE: South China Sea: Beijing set to unleash huge $100m spying vessel

A fortified island in the South China Sea

Xi Jinping

A fortified island in the South China Sea

Rivals such as the US would be able to map China's territory prior to an attack, meaning targets would be identified well in advance of combat should it occur. The biggest issue for Beijing whether embroiled in a conflict or not, are the concerns that the concrete at the foot of these new island installations is beginning to cave due in. This is due to the climate in the region leaving their foundations soft and unstable. Should extreme weather conditions, such as huge typhoons, gather momentum, China's bases could be damaged or even destroyed.

Xi Jinping

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