South China Sea

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South China Sea
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Satellite image of the South China Sea
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South China Sea
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South China Sea
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South China Sea
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The northeastern portion of the South China Sea
Coordinates 12°N113°E﻿ / ﻿12°N 113°E﻿ / 12; 113 Coordinates: 12°N113°E﻿ / ﻿12°N 113°E﻿ / 12; 113
Type Sea
Part of Pacific Ocean
River sources
Basin  countries
Surface area3,500,000 square kilometres (1,400,000 sq mi)
Islands List of islands in the South China Sea

The South China Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean. It is bounded in the north by the shores of South China (hence the name), in the west by the Indochinese Peninsula, in the east by the islands of Taiwan and northwestern Philippines (mainly Luzon, Mindoro and Palawan), and in the south by Borneo, eastern Sumatra and the Bangka Belitung Islands, encompassing an area of around 3,500,000 km2 (1,400,000 sq mi). It communicates with the East China Sea via the Taiwan Strait, the Philippine Sea via the Luzon Strait, the Sulu Sea via the straits around Palawan (e.g. the Mindoro and Balabac Strait), the Strait of Singapore, and the Java Sea via the Karimata and Bangka Strait. The Gulf of Tonkin is both part of the South China Sea, and its shallow waters south of the Riau Islands is also known as the Natuna Sea.


The South China Sea is a region of tremendous economic and geostrategic importance. One-third of the world's maritime shipping passes through it, carrying over US$3 trillion in trade each year. [1] Huge oil and natural gas reserves are believed to lie beneath its seabed. [2] It also contain lucrative fisheries, which are crucial for the food security of millions in Southeast Asia.

The South China Sea Islands, collectively comprising several archipelago clusters of mostly small uninhabited islands, islets (cays and shoals), reefs/atolls and seamounts numbering in the hundreds, are subject to competing claims of sovereignty by several countries. These claims are also reflected in the variety of names used for the islands and the sea.


South China Sea
Chinese name
Chinese 南海
Hanyu Pinyin Nán Hǎi
Literal meaningSouth Sea
Alternative Chinese name
Simplified Chinese 南中国海
Traditional Chinese 南中國海
Hanyu Pinyin Nán Zhōngguó Hǎi
Literal meaningSouth China Sea
Vietnamese name
Vietnamese Biển Đông
Chữ Nôm
Literal meaningEast Sea
Thai name
Thai ทะเลจีนใต้
[tʰā.lēː t͡ɕīːn tâ(ː)j]
(South China Sea)
RTGS Thale Chin Tai
Japanese name
Kana みなみシナかい
Malay name
Malay Laut Cina Selatan
(South China Sea)
Indonesian name
Indonesian Laut Cina Selatan /
Laut Tiongkok Selatan
(South China Sea)
Laut Natuna Utara
(North Natuna Sea; Indonesian official government use; Claimed Indonesian EEZ only) [3]
Filipino name
Tagalog Dagat Timog Tsina
(South China Sea)
Dagat Luzon
(Luzon Sea)
Portuguese name
Portuguese Mar da China Meridional
(South China Sea)

South China Sea, is the dominant term used in English for the sea, and the name in most European languages is equivalent. This name is a result of early European interest in the sea as a route from Europe and South Asia to the trading opportunities of China. In the sixteenth century Portuguese sailors called it the China Sea (Mare da China); later needs to differentiate it from nearby bodies of water led to calling it the South China Sea. [4] The International Hydrographic Organization refers to the sea as "South China Sea (Nan Hai)". [5]

The Yizhoushu , which was a chronicle of the Western Zhou dynasty (1046–771 BCE) gives the first Chinese name for the South China Sea as Nanfang Hai (Chinese:南方海; pinyin:Nánfāng Hǎi; lit. 'Southern Sea'), claiming that barbarians from that sea gave tributes of hawksbill sea turtles to the Zhou rulers. [6] The Classic of Poetry , Zuo Zhuan , and Guoyu classics of the Spring and Autumn period (771–476 BCE) also referred to the sea, but by the name Nan Hai (Chinese:南海; pinyin:Nán Hǎi; lit. 'South Sea') in reference to the State of Chu's expeditions there. [6] Nan Hai, the South Sea, was one of the Four Seas of Chinese literature. There are three other seas, one for each of the four cardinal directions. [7] During the Eastern Han dynasty (23–220 CE), China's rulers called the Sea Zhang Hai (Chinese :漲海; pinyin :Zhǎng Hǎi; lit. 'distended sea'). [6] Fei Hai (Chinese :沸海; pinyin :Fèi Hǎi; lit. 'boil sea') became popular during the Southern and Northern Dynasties period. Usage of the current Chinese name, Nan Hai (South Sea), became gradually widespread during the Qing Dynasty. [8]

In Southeast Asia it was once called the Champa Sea or Sea of Cham, after the maritime kingdom of Champa that flourished there before the sixteenth century. [9] The majority of the sea came under Japanese naval control during World War II following the military acquisition of many surrounding South East Asian territories in 1941. Japan calls the sea Minami Shina Kai "South China Sea". This was written 南支那海 until 2004, when the Japanese Foreign Ministry and other departments switched the spelling to 南シナ海, which has become the standard usage in Japan. West Philippine Sea is the official designation by the Philippine government of eastern parts of the South China Sea which are included in the Philippines' exclusive economic zone. The term is also sometimes incorrectly used to refer to the South China Sea as a whole.

In China, it is called the "South Sea", 南海 Nánhǎi, and in Vietnam the "East Sea", Biển Đông. [10] [11] [12] In Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines, it was long called the "South China Sea" (Dagat Timog Tsina in Tagalog, Laut China Selatan in Malay), with the part within Philippine territorial waters often called the "Luzon Sea", Dagat Luzon, by the Philippines. [13] However, following an escalation of the Spratly Islands dispute in 2011, various Philippine government agencies started using the name West Philippine Sea]]. A Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) sposperson said that the sea to the east of the Philippines will continue to be called the Philippine Sea. [14]

In September 2012, Philippine President Benigno Aquino III signed Administrative Order No. 29, mandating that all government agencies use the name West Philippine Sea to refer to the parts of the South China Sea within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone, including the Luzon Sea as well as the waters around, within and adjacent to the Kalayaan Island Group and Bajo de Masinloc, and tasked the National Mapping and Resource Information Authority (NAMRIA) to use the name in official maps. [15] [16]

In July 2017, to assert its sovereignty, Indonesia renamed the northern reaches of its exclusive economic zone in the South China Sea as the "North Natuna Sea", which is located north of the Indonesian Natuna Islands, bordering the southern Vietnam exclusive economic zone, corresponding to the southern end of the South China Sea. [17] The "Natuna Sea" is located south of Natuna Island within Indonesian territorial waters. [18] Therefore, Indonesia has named two seas that are portions of the South China Sea; the Natuna Sea located between Natuna Islands and the Lingga and Tambelan Archipelagos, and the North Natuna Sea located between the Natuna Islands and Cape Cà Mau on the southern tip of the Mekong Delta in Vietnam.


According to International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) Limits of Oceans and Seas, 3rd edition (1953), it is located [5] [ failed verification ].

However, in its unapproved draft 4th edition (1986), [19] IHO proposed the Natuna Sea, thus the South China Sea southern boundary was shifted northward, from north of the Bangka Belitung Islands to north and northeast of Natuna Islands. [20]

States and territories with borders on the sea (clockwise from north) include: the People's Republic of China, the Republic of China (Taiwan), the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia and Vietnam.

Major rivers that flow into the South China Sea include the Pearl, Min, Jiulong, Red, Mekong, Rajang, Pahang, Agno, Pampanga, and Pasig Rivers.


The International Hydrographic Organization in its Limits of Oceans and Seas, 3rd edition (1953), defines the limits of the South China Sea as follows: [5]

On the South. The Eastern and Southern limits of Singapore and Malacca Straits [A line joining Tanjong Datok, the Southeast point of Johore ( 1°22′N104°17′E﻿ / ﻿1.367°N 104.283°E﻿ / 1.367; 104.283 ) through Horsburgh Reef to Pulo Koko, the Northeastern extreme of Bintan Island ( 1°13.5′N104°35′E﻿ / ﻿1.2250°N 104.583°E﻿ / 1.2250; 104.583 ). The Northeastern coast of Sumatra ] as far West as Tanjong Kedabu ( 1°06′N102°58′E﻿ / ﻿1.100°N 102.967°E﻿ / 1.100; 102.967 ) down the East coast of Sumatra to Lucipara Point ( 3°14′S106°05′E﻿ / ﻿3.233°S 106.083°E﻿ / -3.233; 106.083 ) thence to Tanjong Nanka, the Southwest extremity of Banka Island, through this island to Tanjong Berikat the Eastern point ( 2°34′S106°51′E﻿ / ﻿2.567°S 106.850°E﻿ / -2.567; 106.850 ), on to Tanjong Djemang ( 2°36′S107°37′E﻿ / ﻿2.600°S 107.617°E﻿ / -2.600; 107.617 ) in Billiton, along the North coast of this island to Tanjong Boeroeng Mandi ( 2°46′S108°16′E﻿ / ﻿2.767°S 108.267°E﻿ / -2.767; 108.267 ) and thence a line to Tanjong Sambar ( 3°00′S110°19′E﻿ / ﻿3.000°S 110.317°E﻿ / -3.000; 110.317 ) the Southwest extreme of Borneo.




However, in a revised edition of Limits of Oceans and Seas, 4th edition (1986), the International Hydrographic Organization officially recognized the Natuna Sea. Thus the southern limit of South China Sea is revised from the Bangka Belitung Islands to the Natuna Islands. [20]


Sunset on the South China Sea off Mui Ne village on the south-east coast of Vietnam Mui Ne4.jpg


The South China Sea opened around 45 million years ago when the "Dangerous Ground" rifted away from southern China. Extension culminated in seafloor spreading around 30 million years ago, a process that propagated to the SW resulting in the V-shaped basin we see today. Extension ceased around 17 million years ago. [21] Arguments have continued about the role of tectonic extrusion in forming the basin. Paul Tapponnier and colleagues have argued that as India collides with Asia it pushes Indochina to the SE. The relative shear between Indochina and China caused the South China Sea to open. [22] This view is disputed by geologists[ who? ] who do not consider Indochina to have moved far relative to mainland Asia. Marine geophysical studies in the Gulf of Tonkin by Peter Clift has shown that the Red River Fault was active and causing basin formation at least by 37 million years ago in the NW South China Sea, consistent with extrusion playing a part in the formation of the sea. Since opening the South China Sea has been the repository of large sediment volumes delivered by the Mekong River, Red River and Pearl River. Several of these deltas are rich in oil and gas deposits.

Islands and seamounts


South China Sea Karta CN SouthChinaSea.PNG
South China Sea

The Spratly Islands spread over an 810 by 900 km area covering some 175 identified insular features, the largest being Taiping Island (Itu Aba) at just over 1.3 kilometres (0.81 mi) long and with its highest elevation at 3.8 metres (12 ft).

The largest singular feature in the area of the Spratly Islands is a 100 kilometres (62 mi) wide seamount called Reed Tablemount, also known as Reed Bank, in the northeast of the group, separated from Palawan Island of the Philippines by the Palawan Trench. Now completely submerged, with a depth of 20 metres (66 ft), it was an island until it sank about 7,000 years ago due to the increasing sea level after the last ice age. With an area of 8,866 square kilometres (3,423 sq mi), it is one of the largest submerged atoll structures in the world.


Millions of barrels of crude oil are traded through the South China Sea each day Major crude oil trade flows in the South China Sea (2016) (43582519014).png


The region has proven oil reserves of around 1.2 km³ (7.7 billion barrels), with an estimate of 4.5 km³ (28 billion barrels) in total. Natural gas reserves are estimated to total around 7,500 km³ (266 trillion cubic feet). A 2013 report by the U.S. Energy Information Administration raised the total estimated oil reserves to 11 billion barrels. [23] In 2014 China began to drill for oil in waters disputed with Vietnam. [24] The area in question is known as Vanguard Bank and which Vietnam officials claim lies within their country's 200-mile exclusive economic zone. China, however, disputes this fact. [25]


Indonesia's maritime waters have been breached by fishing fleets from Vietnam and the Philippines leading to said ships being seized and sunk by Indonesian authorities. [27]

China announced in May 2017 a breakthrough for mining methane clathrates, when they extracted methane from hydrates in the South China Sea. [28] [29]

Territorial claims

Location of the major islands in Spratly Islands

Flag of the Republic of China.svg  Republic of China SpringGreen pog.svg 1：Taiping SpringGreen pog.svg 2：Zhongzhou
Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  People's Republic of China Red pog.svg 3：Yongshu Red pog.svg 4：Meiji Red pog.svg 5：Zhubi Red pog.svg 6：Huayang
Red pog.svg 7：Nanxun Red pog.svg 8：Chiguo Red pog.svg 9：Dongmen
Flag of the Philippines.svg  Philippines Blue pog.svg 10：Flat Island Blue pog.svg 11：Lankiam Cay Blue pog.svg 12：Loaita Cay
Blue pog.svg 13：Loaita Island Blue pog.svg 14：Nanshan Island Blue pog.svg 15：Northeast Cay Blue pog.svg 16：Thitu Island
Blue pog.svg 17：West York Island Blue pog.svg 18：Commodore Reef Blue pog.svg 19：Irving Reef
Blue pog.svg 20：Second Thomas Reef
Flag of Vietnam.svg  Vietnam Purple 8000ff pog.svg 21：Southwest Cay Purple 8000ff pog.svg 22：Sand Cay Purple 8000ff pog.svg 23：Namyit Island
Purple 8000ff pog.svg 24：Sin Cowe Island Purple 8000ff pog.svg 25：Spratly Island Purple 8000ff pog.svg 26：Amboyna Cay Purple 8000ff pog.svg 27：Grierson Reef  [ zh ]
Purple 8000ff pog.svg 28：Central London Reef  [ zh ] Purple 8000ff pog.svg 29：Pearson Reef  [ zh ] Purple 8000ff pog.svg 30：Barque Canada Reef  [ zh ]
Purple 8000ff pog.svg 31：West London Reef  [ zh ] Purple 8000ff pog.svg 32：Ladd Reef Purple 8000ff pog.svg 33：Discovery Great Reef  [ zh ]
Purple 8000ff pog.svg 34：Pigeon Reef  [ zh ] Purple 8000ff pog.svg 35：East London Reef  [ zh ] Purple 8000ff pog.svg 36：Alison Reef  [ zh ]
Purple 8000ff pog.svg 37：Cornwallis South Reef Purple 8000ff pog.svg 38：Petley Reef  [ zh ] Purple 8000ff pog.svg 39：South Reef  [ zh ]
Purple 8000ff pog.svg 40：Collins Reef Purple 8000ff pog.svg 41：Lansdwone Reef  [ zh ] Purple 8000ff pog.svg 42：Bombay Castle
Purple 8000ff pog.svg 43：Prince of Wales Bank  [ zh ] Purple 8000ff pog.svg 44：Vanguard Bank  [ zh ] Purple 8000ff pog.svg 45：Prince Consort Bank  [ zh ]
Purple 8000ff pog.svg 46：Grainger Bank  [ zh ] Purple 8000ff pog.svg 47：Alexandra Bank  [ zh ] Purple 8000ff pog.svg 48：Grainger Bank  [ zh ]
Purple 8000ff pog.svg 49：Alexandra Bank  [ zh ]
Flag of Malaysia.svg  Malaysia Green pog.svg 50：Swallow Reef Green pog.svg 51：Ardasier Reef Green pog.svg 52：Dallas Reef
Green pog.svg 53：Erica Reef Green pog.svg 54：Investigator Shoal Green pog.svg 55：Mariveles Reef
Flag of Brunei.svg  Brunei Yellow pog.svg 56：Louisa Reef

Island claims in the South China Sea South China Sea claims map.jpg
Island claims in the South China Sea
Map of various countries occupying the Spratly Islands Spratly with flags.jpg
Map of various countries occupying the Spratly Islands


China and Vietnam have both been vigorous in prosecuting their claims. China (various governments) and South Vietnam each controlled part of the Paracel Islands before 1974. A brief conflict in 1974 resulted in 18 Chinese and 53 Vietnamese deaths, and China has controlled the whole of Paracel since then. The Spratly Islands have been the site of a naval clash, in which over 70 Vietnamese sailors were killed just south of Chigua Reef in March 1988. Disputing claimants regularly report clashes between naval vessels.[ citation needed ]

ASEAN in general, and Malaysia in particular, have been keen to ensure that the territorial disputes within the South China Sea do not escalate into armed conflict. As such, Joint Development Authorities have been set up in areas of overlapping claims to jointly develop the area and divide the profits equally without settling the issue of sovereignty over the area. This is true particularly in the Gulf of Thailand. Generally, China has preferred to resolve competing claims bilaterally, [30] while some ASEAN countries prefer multilateral talks, [31] believing that they are disadvantaged in bilateral negotiations with the much larger China and that because many countries claim the same territory only multilateral talks could effectively resolve the competing claims. [32]

The overlapping claims over Pedra Branca or Pulau Batu Putih including the neighboring Middle Rocks by both Singapore and Malaysia were settled in 2008 by the International Court of Justice, awarding Pedra Branca/Pulau Batu Puteh to Singapore and the Middle Rocks to Malaysia.

In July 2010, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called for China to resolve the territorial dispute. China responded by demanding the US keep out of the issue. This came at a time when both countries had been engaging in naval exercises in a show of force to the opposing side, which increased tensions in the region.[ citation needed ] The US Department of Defense released a statement on August 18 where it opposed the use of force to resolve the dispute, and accused China of assertive behaviour. [33] On July 22, 2011, one of India's amphibious assault vessels, the INS Airavat which was on a friendly visit to Vietnam, was reportedly contacted at a distance of 45 nautical miles (83 km) from the Vietnamese coast in the disputed South China Sea on an open radio channel by a vessel identifying itself as the Chinese Navy and stating that the ship was entering Chinese waters. [34] [35] The spokesperson for the Indian Navy clarified that as no ship or aircraft was visible from INS Airavat it proceeded on her onward journey as scheduled. The Indian Navy further clarified that "[t]here was no confrontation involving the INS Airavat. India supports freedom of navigation in international waters, including in the South China Sea, and the right of passage in accordance with accepted principles of international law. These principles should be respected by all." [34]

In September 2011, shortly after China and Vietnam had signed an agreement seeking to contain a dispute over the South China Sea, India's state-run explorer, Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) said that its overseas investment arm ONGC Videsh Limited had signed a three-year deal with PetroVietnam for developing long-term cooperation in the oil sector [36] and that it had accepted Vietnam's offer of exploration in certain specified blocks in the South China Sea. [37] In response, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Jiang Yu issued a protest. [38] [39] The spokesman of the Ministry of External Affairs of the Government of India responded by saying that "The Chinese had concerns but we are going by what the Vietnamese authorities have told us and have conveyed this to the Chinese." [38] The Indo-Vietnamese deal was also denounced by the Chinese state-run newspaper Global Times. [37] [39]

Subi Reef being built by China and transformed into an artificial island, 2015 Subi Reef May 2015.jpg

In 1999, Taiwan claimed the entirety of the South China Sea islands under the Lee Teng-hui administration. [40] The entire subsoil, seabed and waters of the Paracels and Spratlys are claimed by Taiwan. [41]

In 2012 and 2013, Vietnam and Taiwan butted heads against each other over anti-Vietnamese military exercises by Taiwan. [42]

In May 2014, China established an oil rig near the Paracel Islands, leading to multiple incidents between Vietnamese and Chinese ships. [43] [44]

In December 2018, retired Chinese admiral Luo Yuan proposed that a possible solution to tensions with the United States in the South China Sea would be to sink one or two United States Navy aircraft carriers to break US morale. [45] [46] [47] [48] Also in December 2018, Chinese commentator and Senior Colonel in the People's Liberation Army Air Force, Dai Xu suggested that China's navy should ram United States Navy ships sailing in the South China Sea. [45] [49]

The US, although not a signatory to UNCLOS, has maintained its position that its naval vessels have consistently sailed unhindered through the South China Sea and will continue to do so. [50] At times US warships have come within the 12 nautical-mile limit of Chinese-controlled islands (such as the Paracel Islands), arousing China's ire. [51] During the US Chief of Naval Operations' visit to China in early 2019, he and his Chinese counterpart worked out rules of engagement, whenever American warships and Chinese warships met up on the high seas.

On 26 June 2020, the 36th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit was held virtually. Vietnam, as the Chairman of the Summit, released the Chairman's Statement. The Statement said the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea is "the basis for determining maritime entitlements, sovereign rights, jurisdiction and legitimate interests over maritime zones, and the 1982 UNCLOS sets out the legal framework within which all activities in the oceans and seas must be carried out." [52]

Military maneuver

It was reported by VOA on 27 August 2020 that a  U.S . defense official said that the People's Liberation Army of China launched four medium-range ballistic missiles from mainland China into an area of the South China Sea. [53]

2016 ruling

In January 2013, the Philippines formally initiated arbitration proceedings against China's claim on the territories within the "Nine-Dash Line" that includes the Spratly Islands, which it said is unlawful under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). [54] [55]

On July 12, 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration backed the Philippines, saying that there was no evidence that China had historically exercised exclusive control over the waters or resources, hence there was "no legal basis for China to claim historic rights" over the nine-dash line. [56] [57] The tribunal also criticized China's land reclamation projects and its construction of artificial islands in the Spratly Islands, saying that it had caused "severe harm to the coral reef environment". [58] A letter from the Chinese ambassador asserted that some foreign media, the Philippines and the arbitral tribunal are attempting to characterize Taiping island as a "rock" under UNCLOS, and therefore are not entitled to a 200-nautical-mile (370 km) exclusive economic zone. [59] China rejected the ruling, calling it "ill-founded". [60] Taiwan (ROC), which administers Taiping Island, the largest of the Spratly Islands, also rejected the ruling. [61] [62]

See also

Related Research Articles

Paracel Islands Disputed islands in the South China Sea

The Paracel Islands, also known as Xisha Islands and Hoang Sa Archipelago, are a disputed archipelago in the South China Sea.

Spratly Islands Group of reefs, islets, atolls, cays and islands in the South China Sea

The Spratly Islands are a disputed archipelago in the South China Sea. Composed of islands, islets and cays and more than 100 reefs, sometimes grouped in submerged old atolls, the archipelago lies off the coasts of the Philippines, Malaysia, and southern Vietnam. Named after the 19th-century British whaling captain Richard Spratly who sighted Spratly Island in 1843, the islands contain less than 2 km2 of naturally occurring land area, which is spread over an area of more than 425,000 km2 (164,000 sq mi).

South China Sea Islands

The South China Sea Islands consist of over 250 islands, atolls, cays, shoals, reefs and seamounts in the South China Sea. The islands are mostly low and small, and have few inhabitants. The islands and surrounding seas are subject to overlapping territorial claims by the countries bordering the South China Sea.

Taiping Island

Taiping Island, also known as Itu Aba, and also known by various other names, is the largest of the naturally occurring Spratly Islands in the South China Sea. The island is elliptical in shape being 1.4 kilometres (0.87 mi) in length and 0.4 kilometres (0.25 mi) in width, with an area of 46 hectares. It is located on the northern edge of the Tizard Bank. The runway of the Taiping Island Airport is easily the most prominent feature on the island, running its entire length.

Battle of the Paracel Islands

The Battle of the Paracel Islands was a military engagement between the naval forces of China and South Vietnam in the Paracel Islands on January 19, 1974. The battle was an attempt by the South Vietnamese navy to expel the Chinese navy from the vicinity.

Thitu Island

Thitu Island, also known as Pag-asa Island, having an area of 37.2 hectares, is the second largest of the naturally occurring Spratly Islands and the largest of the Philippine-administered islands. It lies about 480 kilometres (300 mi) west of Puerto Princesa. Its neighbours are the North Danger Reef to the north, Subi Reef to the west, and the Loaita and Tizard Banks to the south.

Loaita Island

Loaita Island10°40′N114°25′E -- also known as Kota Island ; Mandarin Chinese: 南鑰島/南钥岛; pinyin: Nányào Dǎo, and Vietnamese: Đảo Loại Ta, with an area of 6.45 hectares -- is the tenth largest of the naturally-occurring Spratly Islands, and the fifth largest of the Philippine-occupied islands. It is located just to the west of the northern part of Dangerous Ground, and is 22 miles (35 km) southeast of Philippine-occupied Thitu Island (Pag-asa) and 22 miles (35 km) north-northeast of Taiwan-occupied Itu Aba Island.

Johnson South Reef Skirmish

The Johnson South Reef Skirmish was an altercation that took place on 14 March 1988 between Chinese and Vietnamese forces over who would annex the Johnson South Reef in the Union Banks region of the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea.

Philippines and the Spratly Islands Policies, activities and history of the Republic of the Philippines in the Spratly Islands from the Philippine perspective

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Spratly Island

Spratly Island, also known as Storm Island; Vietnamese: Đảo Trường Sa Lớn; Mandarin Chinese: 南威島/南威岛; pinyin: Nánwēi Dǎo; Lagos Island, with a natural area of 15 hectares, is the fourth largest of the naturally occurring Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, and the largest of the Vietnamese-administered Spratly islands.

Malaysia and Vietnam are two Southeast Asian countries with maritime boundaries which meet in the Gulf of Thailand and South China Sea. The two countries have overlapping claims over the continental shelf in the Gulf of Thailand. Both countries have, however, come to an agreement to jointly exploit the natural resources in the disputed area pending resolution of the dispute over sovereignty.

Spratly Islands dispute

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" located in the South China Sea. The dispute is characterised by diplomatic stalemate and the employment of military pressure techniques in the advancement of national territorial claims. All except Brunei occupy some of the maritime features.

Nine-dash line Map delineating Chinese territorial claims to South China Sea waters

The nine-dash line—at various times also referred to as the ten-dash line and the eleven-dash line—refers to the undefined and vaguely located demarcation line used by China and Taiwan, for their claims of the major part of the South China Sea. The contested area in the South China Sea includes the Paracel Islands, the Spratly Islands, and various other areas including Pratas Island and the Vereker Banks, the Macclesfield Bank and the Scarborough Shoal. The claim encompasses the area of Chinese land reclamation known as the "Great Wall of Sand".

Territorial disputes in the South China Sea Disputes over maritime and island sovereignty

The South China Sea disputes involve both island and maritime claims by several sovereign states within the region, namely Brunei, the People's Republic of China (PRC), Taiwan, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam. An estimated US$3.37 trillion worth of global trade passes through the South China Sea annually, which accounts for a third of the global maritime trade. 80 percent of China's energy imports and 39.5 percent of China's total trade passes through the South China Sea.

Philippines–Vietnam relations Diplomatic relations between the Republic of the Philippines and the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam

The Philippines–Vietnam relations refers to the bilateral relations of the Republic of the Philippines and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. Since the end of the Cold War, relations between the two countries have warmed significantly. Vietnam is sometimes referred to as the only communist military ally of the Philippines. Both nations have cooperated in the fields of education, tourism, agriculture, aquaculture, trade, and defense. Additionally, both nations have similar positions on the South China Sea issue, with Vietnam backing the Philippine victory in the ICC against China, and the Philippines backing to a certain extent the claim of Vietnam in the Paracels. Both nations have overlapping claims in the Spratlys, but have never made military confrontations as both view each other as diplomatic allies and ASEAN brethren.

Hai Yang Shi You 981 standoff

The Hai Yang Shi You 981 standoff, also known as the 2014 China-Vietnam oil rig crisis, refers to the tensions between China and Vietnam arising from the Chinese state-owned China National Offshore Oil Corporation moving its Hai Yang Shi You 981 oil platform to waters near the disputed Paracel Islands in South China Sea, and the resulting Vietnamese efforts to prevent the platform from establishing a fixed position. According to an announcement by the Hainan Maritime Safety Administration of China, the drilling work of the Hai Yang Shi You 981 would last from May 2 to August 15, 2014. On July 15, China announced that the platform had completed its work and withdrew it fully one month earlier than originally announced.

North Danger Reef

North Danger Reef is one of the seven major reefs / banks / etc. in the Spratly Islands area of the South China Sea. It is the most North Western of the features of the Spratly Islands, located to the NW of Dangerous Ground.

Timeline of the South China Sea dispute

The article covers events that are related to the South China Sea dispute.

Vietnam claims an exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of 1,395,096 km2 (538,650 sq mi) with 200 nautical miles from its shores.


  1. ChinaPower, August 4, 2017.
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Further reading