China drills in disputed South China Sea as US naval patrol grows | Al Jazeera

China has drilled deep in the South China Sea to retrieve sediment core from the seabed, state media has reported, amid tensions over disputed waters with rival claimants Taiwan and the Philippines, as the United States increases its naval presence in the region.

Chinese scientists on a marine research vessel used China’s homemade Sea Bull II drilling system to obtain a sediment core 231 metres (757 feet) long at a depth of 2,060m (6,760ft), according to the official Xinhua news agency on Thursday.

The system can help explore natural gas hydrate resources in the seabed, Xinhua added, referring to the solid ice-like crystals formed from a mixture of methane and water that are touted as a promising source of energy.

It was unclear exactly where the drilling took place in the South China Sea, approximately 90 percent of which is claimed by Beijing as its territorial waters. The International Court of Arbitration at The Hague has declared that claim as without legal basis.

Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, Vietnam and Brunei also lay claim to parts of the sea, which has vast oil and gas potential...