Abstract
The possibility of oil reserves under the seabed of the East China Sea created competition between Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan to claim ownership of these natural resources. The dispute marked the start of international cooperation in maritime East Asia and introduced the United States into this power game due to its exploration techniques and financial power. While Taibei, Tokyo, and Seoul put sovereignty-related disputes aside in an attempt to explore resources jointly, the change in international politics in East Asia and Washington’s perception of the western Pacific rim led to the failure of cooperation. This article argues that this international power game over natural resources management epitomized the dynamic politics between the United States and its East Asian allies. The roles of sovereignty, local interests, and U.S. international security created a dynamic scenario revealing how oil reserves were never the issue, but instead the embodiment of the actual concerns of these players behind their diplomatic language. Situating the 1970s oil exploration in the context of the Cold War, this article provides a historical lens to understand the contours of the shifting geopolitical structure in maritime East Asia.
Highlights
South Korea, and Taiwan, formally began surveying natural resources in the Pohang area off the east coast of the Korean peninsula and north western offshore Taiwan in 1966.5 The international joint oil investigation brought the United States, with its cutting-edge exploration techniques and financial power, to the geopolitical platform of maritime East Asia
The dispute marked the start of international cooperation in maritime East Asia and introduced the United States into this power game due to its exploration techniques and financial power
Situating the 1970s oil exploration in the context of the Cold War, this article provides a historical lens to understand the contours of the shifting geopolitical structure in maritime East Asia
Summary
South Korea, and Taiwan, formally began surveying natural resources in the Pohang area off the east coast of the Korean peninsula and north western offshore Taiwan in 1966.5 The international joint oil investigation brought the United States, with its cutting-edge exploration techniques and financial power, to the geopolitical platform of maritime East Asia.
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