**MOVE 1**

[Josh A. Kortze]

New York- Yesterday, United Nations negotiations between China and the Philippines took a turn for the worst, with the Philippine delegate accusing China of “imperialism,” before walking out of the assembly. Specifically, China and the Philippines have been debating the Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ) in the South China Sea, and for years, China has been claiming almost the entire area hers. These types of disputes have been regarded as Asia's most potentially dangerous points of conflict, since the region is incredibly valuable. The South China Sea is an incredibly important shipping route, with over 1.6 million m³ (10 million barrels) of crude oil a day being shipped through the Strait of Malacca. The Sea also possesses a vast amount of oil and natural gas. China claims almost the entire body as her own, and this claim overlaps with virtually every other country in the region. The EEZ is meant to stretch from the edge of the state's territorial sea out to 200 nautical miles from its coast. The Philippine delegate, Prospero Enrile, stated after abruptly walking out of the UN assembly that “China is looking to create a monopoly over the resources in the area. She ignores international law in order to steal the oil and natural gas from the people it belongs to. It’s as simple as that.”

[United Kingdom]

Although the United Kingdom does not encourage the delegate's abrupt departure from the assembly, the United Kingdom does understand the Philippine delegate's frustration as well as the frustration shared by other countries in the region. With that said, The United Kingdom notes the importance of maintaining a secure oil transit route through the Strait of Malacca as it is vital to many of her allies' oil supply and global economy. The United Kingdom would like to see this dispute solved peacefully without escalation into armed conflict.

[mongolia]

Mongolia would like to echo the sentiments of Great Britain, we must all find a way to resolve the issue of the disputed Exclusive Economic Zones within the confines of international law. One nation cannot simply claim such a vast swath of natural resources without proper due course. We hope the Chinese delegation is willing to come back to the table to work with The Philippines and the assembly and find a peaceful resolution to this issue.