Q&A: South China Sea Dispute: 27 October 2015
Q&A: South China Sea Dispute: 27 October 2015
Q&A: South China Sea Dispute: 27 October 2015
27 October 2015
The frictions have sparked concern that the area is becoming a flashpoint with global
consequences.
China claims by far the largest portion of territory - an area defined by the "nine-dash
line" which stretches hundreds of miles south and east from its most southerly province
of Hainan.
Beijing says its right to the area goes back centuries to when the Paracel and Spratly
island chains were regarded as integral parts of the Chinese nation, and in 1947
it issued a map detailing its claims. It showed the two island groups falling entirely
within its territory. Those claims are mirrored by Taiwan.
Vietnam hotly disputes China's historical account, saying China had never claimed
sovereignty over the islands before the 1940s. Vietnam says it has actively ruled over
both the Paracels and the Spratlys since the 17th Century - and has the documents to
prove it.
The other major claimant in the area is the Philippines, which invokes its geographical
proximity to the Spratly Islands as the main basis of its claim for part of the grouping.
Both the Philippines and China lay claim to the Scarborough Shoal (known as Huangyan
Island in China) - a little more than 100 miles (160km) from the Philippines and 500
miles from China.
Malaysia and Brunei also lay claim to territory in the South China Sea that they say falls
within their economic exclusion zones, as defined by UNCLOS - the United Nations
Convention on the Law of the Sea.
Brunei does not claim any of the disputed islands, but Malaysia claims a small number
of islands in the Spratlys.
Recent flashpoints
The most serious trouble in recent decades has flared between Vietnam and China, and
there have also been stand-offs between the Philippines and China:
In 1974 the Chinese seized the Paracels from Vietnam, killing more than 70
Vietnamese troops.
In 1988 the two sides clashed in the Spratlys, with Vietnam again coming off
worse, losing about 60 sailors.
In early 2012, China and the Philippines engaged in a lengthy maritime stand-off,
accusing each other of intrusions in the Scarborough Shoal.
In July 2012 China angered Vietnam and the Philippines when it formally created
Sansha city, an administrative body with its headquarters in the Paracels which it
says oversees Chinese territory in the South China Sea.
Unverified claims that the Chinese navy sabotaged two Vietnamese exploration
operations in late 2012 led to large anti-China protests on Vietnam's streets.
In January 2013, Manila said it was taking China to a UN tribunal under the
auspices of the UN Convention on the Laws of the Sea, to challenge its claims.
In May 2014, the introduction by China of a drilling rig into waters near the
Paracel Islands led to multiple collisions between Vietnamese and Chinese ships.