These claimants also clash over their rights and duties in the nearby waters as well as the seabed underneath. The spratlys archipelago at the moment they are administered by the philippines, but some are claimed by brunei, taiwan, china, vietnam, malaysia and indonesia. Closer examination of the spratlys issue suggests that the contest for sovereignty is intertwined with economic concerns, energy needs and geostrategic considerations emmers, 2008. His solutions to the spratly islands dispute all assume that china will be able to claim eezs and territorial waters around mischief reef and its manmade features. The spratlys are spread out over a vast area of ocean measuring some 158,000 square miles 409,000 square km. Based on a book originally published in vietnamese, the author offers a historical. The spratly islands dispute is an ongoing territorial dispute between china, taiwan, malaysia. These islands have been disputed with varying degrees of intensity for more than 50 years.
Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Based on the news updates from various sources today, here are the major updates on the hearing over pcas jurisdiction issue over the case of philippines vs. France raised first official claim to the paracel and spratly islands after invaded and occupied 9 of nansha islands, including taiping and zhongye. Lastly, if distance would be the basis, the philippines would still win the argument. Reaction paper about spratly islands issue essay example. Vietnam justified in defending its rights in vanguard bank in south china sea 30 sep, 2019, 05. O n january 3, a chinese plane touched down on a remote.
The philippines claims are based on sovereignty over the spratlys on the issues of res nullius and geography. Abocejo 2 1 university of san jose recoletos and 2 cebu normal university. Spratly synonyms, spratly pronunciation, spratly translation, english dictionary definition of spratly. The spratlys are claimed in total by china, vietnam, and taiwan, whereas malaysia laid claim to parts of the continental shelf underlying the southernmost islands in the chain. According to that issue, when a french gunboat named malicieuse surveyed the nanwei island of the nansha islands in 1930, they saw three chinese on the island and when france invaded nine of the nansha islands by force in april 1933, they found all the people on the islands were chinese, with 7 chinese on the nanzi reef, 5 on the zhongye island. Jul 19, 2015 the spratly islands are located in the socalled south china sea and consist of a number of small islands, reefs, atolls and rocks. Brunei, china, malaysia, the philippines, taiwan, and vietnam. The spratlys issue has already brought tension among the members of asean, particularly amongbrunei,malaysia, thephilippinesandvietnam, all claiming territorial jurisdiction in whole or in part over the islands, not to mentiontaiwans claim over the area too. History of administration and claims on the spratly and paracel islands in the south china sea. This essay argues that taking a constructivist approach through discourse analysis as described by lene hansen 1 will highlight essential and previously neglected dynamics of the dispute.
Upon the decision of the arbitral tribunal, the phlippines delegation was requested to answer further questions given by the tribnual on monday, july 2015 in hague. Another, called spratly island or storm island, measures 900 by 1,500 feet 275 by 450 metres. The republic of china roc, which ruled mainland china before 1949 and has been confined to taiwan since 1949, also claims all of the spratly islands. Spratly islands is a group of islands, reefs, islets and cays in the south china sea or west philippines sea which is being claimed by asian countries namely the philippines, vietnam, brunei, malaysia, taiwan and peoples republic of china. Hanoi reuter jakarta reuter manila samuels sea boundary line south china sea spratly and paracel spratly dispute spratly islands spratly islands dispute spratlys talks straight baselines taipei taiwan taiwanese territorial sea tongueshaped line traditional sea. The peoples republic of china prc claims all of the spratly islands as part of china based on history and not unclos. Paracel and spratly islands routledge security in asia series 1st edition. An aerial view of southwest cay, also known as pugad island, part of vietnams spratly islands in the south china sea, which vietnam calls the. Spratly islands copy link facebook twitter reddit flipboard pocket if one were to combine all 750 atolls, reefs, rocks, and islets that constitute the spratly islands into one landmass, it would. Because i can read hanchinese, i ve translated about 600 hanchinese words into vietnamese that adequately represents the origin and date of the map. This important book is the first to make clear sense of the south sea disputes. The prc today occupies 9 reefs, however, claim all of the spratly islands. History tomas cloma spratly islands south china sea.
Jan 25, 2015 ancient origins articles related to spratly islands in the sections of history, archaeology, human origins, unexplained, artifacts, ancient places and myths and legends. History of the spratly islands definition of history of the. History of the spratly islands definition of history of. According to the chinese history books, china discovered the is. History of the spratly islands article about history of. Chinas claim of sovereignty over spratly and paracel islands. The purpose of this article is to discuss whether or not the convention is, on its own, an appropriate guide.
Despite the spratly islands naturally consisting of 19 islands see below, according to a chinese 1986 source, the spratly islands consist of 14 islands or islets, 6 banks, 1 submerged reefs, 35 underwater banks and 21 underwater shoals the northeast part of the spratlys is known as dangerous ground and is. They are claimed in their entirety by china, taiwan, and vietnam, while portions are claimed by malaysia and the philippines. If you want to become an expert on the turbulent history of the south china sea and. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading the spratly incident uss stonewall jackson book 2. A small outcropping of sand occasionally breaks the vast expanse of the south china sea. Most of the paracel, the spratlys and pratas island were known by chinese geographers of the han dynasty. International law and the dispute over the spratly islands. An island group in the south china sea west of palawan. Vietnam acknowledged the nansha islands as being chinas territory in its world maps published in 1960 and 1972 as well as its textbooks published in 1974. The present row between the philippines, china, and malaysia over their respective claims to the spratly archipelago highlights the tendency of policy officials and the political leadership to invoke the name of unclos to either justify their claims andor to. Jun 09, 2015 who should own the spratly islands an d why. They are located north of insular malaysia and are roughly midway between vietnam and the philippines, and they are claimedwholly or in partby several countries in the region.
Spratly islands history timeline nansha islands of china. In the 19th century, europeans found that chinese fishermen from hainan annually sojourned on the spratly islands. Of the 12 main naturally occurring islets, the largest is the 90acre 36hectare itu aba. The sultanate state of sulu is the legal owner of the spratlys archipelago but since the sultan kiram turnover his territorial and proprietary rights of the state to the republic of the. Vietnam protests south china sea distortion in chinese history books. It s a colorcoded paper map that has a cartonpaper cover and can be opened like a book. If one were to combine all 750 atolls, reefs, rocks, and islets that constitute the spratly islands into one landmass, it would barely make up two square miles scattered across over 150,000. These claimants also clash over their rights and duties in the nearby waters as well as the seabed. Inside the map, there are more than 35 pieces each measured at 20cm wide, 30cm long stuck on canvas. Implications to china and the philippines christine marie s. Spratly islands, large group of reefs, shoals, atolls, and small islets in the south china sea of the pacific ocean. The question is highly pertinent, because the issue of sovereignty is the main cause behind the intractability of the south china sea disputes.
The south china seas history and role in international politics a scholarly view. This book analyses vietnams claim of sovereignty over paracel and spratly. Jun 17, 2011 the chinese claim ownership of the spratly islands based on their long history governing the area. The spratlys archipelago, and the new benham rise by. Spratly islands reefs, shoals, atolls, and islets, south. Why philippines has the strongest claim of spratly islands. As is shown, the spratly islands dispute has been viewed through mostly realist and structural realist lenses and to a lesser extent through liberal ones. The spratly islands archipelago has become pivotal as a strategic, economic and political asset in the south china sea. Apr 17, 2020 the spratlys issue has already brought tension among the members of asean, particularly amongbrunei,malaysia, thephilippinesandvietnam, all claiming territorial jurisdiction in whole or in part over the islands, not to mentiontaiwans claim over the area too. We use your linkedin profile and activity data to personalize ads and to show you more relevant ads. Pdf vietnam, territoriality and the south china sea. A historical and legal perspective tehkuang chang i. The chinese fishermen who lived and worked on the nansha islands immediatedly made a firm resistance against the invasion and the chinese government lodged a strong protest with the french government. The nansha islands are recognized as chinas territory in many countries authoritative encyclopedias published since the beginning of the 20th century.
The history of the kingdom of colonia st john 19471950 in the period between 1947 and 1950, the fishing boats belonging to tomas cloma, a philippine citizen of considerable prominence he had established the philippine maritime institute, a nautical school, in manila, made a number of visits to the spratly group of islands in search for better fishing grounds. Beijing contends that it is well within its administrative area prior to 1933. The most prominent among them are the spratly islands. Fiery cross reef in the spratlys, for example, is now more than eleven times its natural size, and china is completing a 10,000footlong runway big enough for any military aircraft. The chinese claim ownership of the spratly islands based on their long history governing the area. The archipelago, which has potentially extensive oil and natural gas deposits, is claimed in whole.
It was the first to name and use and patrol the south china sea. Introduction dn august, 1990, in singapore, premier li peng of the peoples republic of china the prc reaffirmed chinas sovereignty over xisha and nansha islands. Hoang dinh namafpgetty a plan to keep beijing from ruling the the spratly islands. Chinas claim of sovereignty over spratly and paracel. The prc refers to different types of evidence of occupancy such as old maps depicting the spratly islands, the discovery of old chinese coins on the islands and the referral to the islands in ancient chinese history books.
The spratly islands dispute is an ongoing territorial dispute between china, taiwan, malaysia, the philippines, vietnam, and brunei, concerning ownership of the spratly islands, a group of islands and associated maritime features reefs, banks, cays, etc. In 1852 france colonized the southern part of vietnam, called cochinchina. As i mentioned earlier, the distance between the philippines and the spratlys is 163 miles, compared to the mile distance from china, and 800 miles. Republic of china prc claims all of the spratly islands as part of china based on history and not unclos. Let be honest about paracel islands and spratly islands.
The south china seas history and role in international politics a. Thus according to the prc argument, the spratlys have not been terra nullius for about 2000 years at least. Note that the spratly islands issue is generally conceptualized as a dispute. This situation has become particularly evident since the end of the cold war, as the spratlys have been used by six littoral states as legal basepoints to project claims over strategic sealanes, fishery waters and submarine hydrocarbon resources in the south china sea. The archipelago, which has potentially extensive oil and natural gas deposits, is claimed in. History of the spratly islands article about history of the. These islands are modest, even diminutive, but they form the core of a fierce territorial dispute among six primary claimants. The spratly islands consist of more than 100 small islands or reefs surrounded by rich fishing grounds and potentially by gas and oil deposits. The book touches on a very sensitive, topical issue of international importance with wideranging and serious consequences. The spratly islands were, in 1939, coral islets mostly inhabited by seabirds. China is building airbases in the spratly islands of the south china sea, dredging sand and dirt to create 2,000 acres of land where little more than rocky reefs existed before. When the spratlys and paracels were surveyed by germany in 1883, china issued protests against them. Dai nam nhat thong chi, 1882, a book written under the nguyen dynasty 18021945, which showed the paracels and the spratlys as part of quang nai province.
In 1933 the spratlys were incorporated into the french colony of cochinchina. Where does the united nations convention on the law of the sea unclos sit visavis the ongoing disputes over the spratly islands. The philippines and the spratlys are only 163 miles apart, which is obviously within the 200mile limit. Why spratly islands is important to china, and philippines. In any case, the issue was moot for most of the regions history. Page on the chinese navy issued warnings eight times as a u. The spratly incident uss stonewall jackson book 2 kindle edition by makk, stephen. The whole group is claimed by china, taiwan, and vietnam, and parts are claimed by malaysia and the philippines. The prc is a party to the unclos, signing the agreement on 29 july 1994. About 45 islands are occupied by relatively small numbers of military. What are the recent development in the spratly islands. However, what these features are, exactly, cant be overlooked when examining this issue. In 1883, the chinese protested against german surveys of the paracels and the spratlys.
Denis somoso the sultanate state of sulu is the legal owner of the spratlys archipelago but since the sultan kiram turnover his territorial and proprietary rights of. International law and the dispute over the spratly. The history, the unclos international law of sea, the archipelagic states theory says the spratlys is belonged to the philippines. History of the spratly islands synonyms, history of the spratly islands pronunciation, history of the spratly islands translation, english dictionary definition of history of the spratly islands. As a result of chinas defeat by france in a war over french designs on vietnam, the chinese were compelled in 1887 to sign a treaty. In the 19th century, europeans found that chinese fishermen from hainan annually sojourned on the spratly islands for part of the year, while in 1877 it was the british who launched the first modern legal claims to the spratlys. Ancient origins articles related to spratly islands in the sections of history, archaeology, human origins, unexplained, artifacts, ancient places and myths and.
1246 1460 628 1260 396 402 818 1583 1431 975 647 746 1609 1484 173 482 268 50 679 91 176 996 103 789 90 1178 823