Large oilfields often don’t fall neatly within national boundaries. Intent on securing underground or undersea reserves, nations contest territorial claims. China battles Japan for the Diaoyu/Senkakku Islands and ASEAN members for large sections of the South China Sea. Settling disputes quickly is in the interest of all claimants, particularly those with less technological expertise, suggests Will Hickey of SolBridge University. Rapid drilling can cause oil to migrate within a reserve, and horizontal drilling for several kilometers is also possible.
looking beyond borders 