Oil and conflict are dangerously intertwined in the Pacific, where China has several disputes with its neighbors. The Senkaku (Diaoyu) islands in the Ryuku chain of the East China Sea which are reported to possess large oil reserves offshore are currently disputed by China and Japan. The Paracel (Xisha) islands of the South China Sea, also rich in oil reserves, have caused low intensity conflict between China and Vietnam. And once oil was discovered the Spratley islands, in the South China Sea north of Brunei, are disputed by five countries: Indonesia, Brunei, Philippines, Malaysia and China, whose large blue water navy and military installations are enforcing what it claims to be its exclusive sphere of influence. Meanwhile in the Straits of Malacca the Chinese navy has sent a flotilla to accompany the long column of oil tankers which carry most of the oil imports of East Asia. Oil has caused a veritable 'petro pirate plague' in the straits between Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia, threating East Asia's vital supply of crude oil. All of these new conflicts offshore raise questions of regional security in the Asia-Pacific region. Is the oil these islands are reported to possess worth an interstate war? China should instead work with its neighbors to make the East and South China seas safe for commerce.

• Douglas A. Yates(American Graduate School in Paris)