He also stated he wants to work with the Congress to create an oceans commission to aid in forging an ongoing oceans strategy. A U.S. National Oceans Policy, however, can not be constructed in isolation from worldwide oceans problems. Domestic oceans-related goals can not be met without also tackling larger international goals. The issue of the name of the sea is highly contentious between the Koreas and Japan. In other words, energy is a resource that almost all countries of the world devote significant amounts of political, economic, and military effort to securing.
Energy is a critical issue in Northeast Asia.
First, future growth in energy demand in the region most likely cannot be met by supply in the region. This seems especially true of demand for oil. Future growth in energy demand in China, in particular, will require import of fuels from outside the region. Second, competition for energy supplies, particularly oil, will almost certainly tighten in the near-term future, especially if there are interruptions in the market. This makes them highly vulnerable to disruptions in the delivery systems for these fuels.