China’s National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) announced on Monday the discovery of a significant oilfield in the eastern South China Sea, with confirmed reserves surpassing 100 million tonnes.The Huizhou 19-6 oilfield is located approximately 170 kilometers (100 miles) from Shenzhen in Guangdong Province, according to Beijing’s Xinhua news agency.Test drilling has recorded a daily output of 413 barrels of crude oil and 68,000 cubic meters of natural gas, CNOOC reported.Zhou Xinhuai, CEO of the state-owned oil giant, praised the “successive breakthroughs in oil and gas exploration in the eastern waters of the South China Sea.” He highlighted that CNOOC has now discovered 100-million-ton oilfields for two consecutive years, strengthening offshore oil and gas production.The U.S. Energy Information Administration notes that much of the South China Sea remains underexplored due to territorial disputes, though most known oil and gas reserves are in uncontested areas. While China claims nearly the entire South China Sea, its claims are challenged by the Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Brunei.CNOOC’s Chief Geologist, Xu Changgui, described the discovery as a “major breakthrough.” He emphasized that it represents the largest clastic whole oilfield in the northern South China Sea in terms of geological reserves, challenging traditional theoretical understandings.China remains the world’s largest importer of crude oil, with daily imports reaching 11.1 million barrels last year, according to U.S. government data.