Editing Spratly Islands (section)

===Military conflicts and diplomatic dialogues===
{{Further|Spratly Islands dispute}}

The following are political divisions for the Spratly Islands claimed by various area nations (in alphabetical order):

* Brunei: Part of Brunei's Exclusive Economic Zone<ref name="Brunei">[https://web.archive.org/web/20080228205656/http://www.icriforum.org/secretariat/press_061303.html Borneo Post: When All Else Fails](archived from [http://www.icriforum.org/secretariat/press_061303.html the original] on 28 February 2008) Additionally, pages 48 and 51 of "The Brunei-Malaysia Dispute over Territorial and Maritime Claims in International Law" by R. Haller-Trost, Clive Schofield, and Martin Pratt, published by the [http://www.dur.ac.uk/ibru/ International Boundaries Research Unit] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091018082015/http://www.dur.ac.uk/ibru/ |date=18 October 2009}}, University of Durham, UK, points out that this is, in fact, a "territorial dispute" between Brunei and other claimants over the ownership of one above-water feature (Louisa Reef)</ref>
*China: Part of [[Sansha]], [[Hainan]]<ref>{{cite news|last=Romero|first=Alexis|title=China fishing boats cordon off Spratlys|url=http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2013/05/08/939648/china-fishing-boats-cordon-spratlys|access-date=29 October 2013|newspaper=The Philippine Star|date=8 May 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140125134046/http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2013/05/08/939648/china-fishing-boats-cordon-spratlys|archive-date=25 January 2014|url-status=live}}</ref>
* Malaysia: Part of [[Sabah]] state
* Philippines: Part of [[Kalayaan, Palawan|Kalayaan]], [[Palawan]] province
* Taiwan: Part of [[Kaohsiung]] municipality
* Vietnam: Part of [[Trường Sa District|Trường Sa]], [[Khánh Hòa Province]]

==== Conflicts in the 19th century ====
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 Spratly Islands.<ref name="Kivimaki2002">{{cite book |title=War Or Peace in the South China Sea? |editor-first=Timo |editor-last=Kivimäki |issue=Issue 45 of NIAS reports |issn=0904-597X |edition=illustrated |year=2002 |others=Contributor: Nordic Institute of Asian Studies |publisher=NIAS Press |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CNVf9R_L5FAC&pg=PA9 |isbn=978-87-91114-01-4 |access-date=10 March 2014 |pages=9–11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140403224917/http://books.google.com/books?id=CNVf9R_L5FAC&pg=PA9 |archive-date=3 April 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Taylor & Francis">{{cite book |title=Security and International Politics in the South China Sea: Towards a co-operative management regime |editor1-first=Sam |editor1-last=Bateman |editor2-first=Ralf |editor2-last=Emmers |edition=illustrated |year=2008 |page=43 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |isbn=978-0-203-88524-6 |access-date=10 March 2014 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9VrMXX3CgBMC |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160424071301/https://books.google.com/books?id=9VrMXX3CgBMC |archive-date=24 April 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Some Chinese scholars and officials argue that the 1887 Sino-French Tonkin Boundary convention<ref>{{cite web |date=26 Jun 1887 |title=Convention relative à la délimitation de la frontière entre la Chine et le Tonkin, signée à Pékin |trans-title=Full text of Convention relative to the delimitation of the frontier between China and Tonkin, signed in Beijing |url=http://visualiseur.bnf.fr/CadresFenetre?O=NUMM-95886&I=307&M=tdm |access-date=12 Jul 2023 |publisher=Gallica |language=French |archive-date=6 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200806234826/http://visualiseur.bnf.fr/CadresFenetre?O=NUMM-95886&I=307&M=tdm |url-status=dead}}</ref> signed after the [[Sino-French War]] recognised the sovereignty of China over the Paracel and Spratly islands.<ref name="Wortzel" /> The line mentioned in the convention can be more accurately described as a shorthand for dividing islands between China and Vietnam in the [[Gulf of Tonkin]], but not its maritime waters. In the 1950s amid warming ties between the two countries, [[Mao Zedong]] decided to hand over [[Bạch Long Vĩ Island]], which lies to the west of the dividing line and had Chinese inhabitants, to Vietnam. In 1933 and 1937 France sent diplomatic notes to China maintaining that the 1887 treaty determined the ownership of islands near the [[Móng Cái]] area only not anywhere beyond that.<ref>{{cite web |last=Pedrozo |first=Raul (Pete) |year=2014 |title=China versus Vietnam: An Analysis of the Competing Claims in the South China Sea |url=https://www.cna.org/reports/2014/iop-2014-u-008433.pdf |series=U.S. policy options in the South China Sea |publisher=CNA Corporation's Strategic Studies |page=86 |location=Arlington, VA}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Keyuan |first=Zou |date=15 Dec 2010 |title=Maritime Boundary Delimitation in the Gulf of Tonkin |url=http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/009083299276177 |journal=Ocean Development & International Law |language=en |volume=30 |issue=3 |pages=235–254 |doi=10.1080/009083299276177 |issn=0090-8320}}</ref>

The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs also try to claim that a 1883 incident involving a German ship conducting surveys in the South China Sea without China's consent was protested with Berlin and the Germans terminated the survey.<ref name="Severino2011" />  Western scholars have determined, however, that this incident is not based on verifiable references and is inconsistent with other Chinese inaction during the same time period given that, in 1885, the German Admiralty published a two‐sheet chart entitled ''Die Paracel‐Inseln'' (The Paracel Islands). The chart documented the work of a German expedition to the Paracels between 1881 and 1884.<ref>{{cite book |last=Chemillier-Gendreau |first=Monique |date=2000 |title=Sovereignty over the Paracel and Spratly Islands |location=The Hague, The Netherlands |publisher=Brill/Martinus Nijhoff Publishers |page=99 |isbn=978-90-411-1381-8}}</ref>

==== Conflicts in the 20th century until 1945 ====
China sent naval forces on inspection tours in 1902 and 1907 and placed flags and markers on the islands. The Qing dynasty's successor state, the Republic of China, claimed the Spratly and Paracel islands under the jurisdiction of Hainan.<ref name="Severino2011" />

In 1933, France asserted its claims to the Spratly and Paracel Islands{{Citation needed|date=August 2020}} on behalf of its then-colony [[French Indochina]].<ref name="encarta">[http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761582978/Spratly_Islands.html Spratly Islands] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091029063837/http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761582978/Spratly_Islands.html |date=29 October 2009}}{{full citation needed|date=January 2011}}, [http://encarta.msn.com/ Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia 2008] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091031074236/http://encarta.msn.com/ |date=31 October 2009}}. All Rights Reserved.</ref> It occupied a number of the Spratly Islands, including [[Taiping Island]], built weather stations on two of the islands, and administered them as part of French Indochina.{{Failed verification|date=September 2024}} This occupation was protested by the [[Republic of China (1912–49)|Republic of China]] (ROC) government because France admitted finding Chinese fishermen there when French warships visited nine of the islands.<ref>Todd C. Kelly, [http://www.hawaii.edu/cseas/pubs/explore/todd.html Vietnamese Claims to the Truong Sa Archipelago], Explorations in Southeast Asian Studies, Vol.3, Fall 1999. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130402164512/http://www.hawaii.edu/cseas/pubs/explore/todd.html |date=2 April 2013}}</ref> In 1935, the ROC government also announced a sovereignty claim on the Spratly Islands. [[Empire of Japan|Japan]] occupied some of the islands in 1939 during World War II, and it used the islands as a [[submarine]] base for the occupation of Southeast Asia. During the Japanese occupation, these islands were called ''Shinnan Shoto'' ({{lang|ja|新南諸島}}), literally the New Southern Islands, and together with the Paracel Islands ({{lang|zh-hans|西沙群岛}})<!--do not change! only Simplified Chinese uses this form of 岛/島-->, they were put under the governance of the Japanese authority in [[Taiwan under Japanese rule|Taiwan]] on 30 March 1939.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.combinedfleet.com/SouthChinaSea_t.htm|title=Japanese Occupation South China Sea Islands - 1937-1941|year=2012|website=combinedfleet.com}}</ref>

Japan occupied the Paracels and the Spratly Islands from February 1939 to August 1945.<ref name="king1979p43">{{harvnb|King|1979|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=vY4tBfqGvZ4C&pg=PA43 43]}}</ref> Japan annexed the Spratly Islands via Taiwan's jurisdiction and the Paracels via Hainan's jurisdiction.<ref name="Kivimaki2002" /> Parts of the Paracels and Spratly Islands were again controlled by Republic of China after the 1945 surrender of Japan,<ref name="ed. Morley, Nishihara 1997">{{cite book|last1=Morley|first1=James W.|last2=Nishihara|first2=Masashi|title=Vietnam Joins the World|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=taOrjN83rLEC&pg=PA124|date=1997|publisher=M.E. Sharpe|isbn=978-0-7656-3306-4|page=124|access-date=16 December 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160101132938/https://books.google.com/books?id=taOrjN83rLEC&pg=PA124|archive-date=1 January 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> since the Allied powers assigned the Republic of China to receive Japanese surrenders in that area,<ref name="Severino2011" /> however no successor was named to the islands.<ref name="ed. Morley, Nishihara 1997" />

==== Conflicts in the 20th century after World War II ====
[[File:1947_Nanhai_Zhudao.png|alt=Map of the South East China|thumb|290x290px|[[Republic of China (1912–1949)|China]]'s (now [[Taiwan|ROC]] and [[China|PRC]]) [[nine-dash line]] illustrated in a 1947 map of the South China Sea]]

In November 1946, the ROC sent naval ships to take control of the islands after the [[surrender of Japan]].<ref name="king1979p43" /> It had chosen the largest and perhaps the only inhabitable island, [[Taiping Island]], as its base, and it renamed the island under the name of the naval vessel as Taiping. Also following the defeat of Japan at the end of World War II, the ROC re-claimed the entirety of the Spratly Islands (including Taiping Island) after accepting the Japanese surrender of the islands based on the [[1943 Cairo Declaration|Cairo]] and [[Potsdam Declaration]]s. The Republic of China then garrisoned Itu Aba (Taiping) island in 1946 and posted Chinese flags.<ref name="Kivimaki2002" /> The aim of the Republic of China was to block the French claims.<ref name="Severino2011" /><ref name="The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica">{{cite encyclopedia |encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica |author1=Das, Darshana |author2=Lotha, Gloria |name-list-style=amp |url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/561209/Spratly-Islands |title=Spratly Islands |access-date=1 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150520232007/http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/561209/Spratly-Islands |archive-date=20 May 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref> The Republic of China drew up the map showing the U-shaped claim on the entire South China Sea, showing the Spratly and Paracels in Chinese territory, in 1947.<ref name="Severino2011" /> Japan had renounced all claims to the islands in the 1951 [[San Francisco Peace Treaty]] together with the Paracels, Pratas and other islands captured from the Chinese, and upon these declarations, the government of the Republic of China reasserted its claim to the islands. At the peace conference, South Vietnam declared Vietnamese sovereignty over the Spratlys, but North Vietnam supported China's authority.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Ma |first=Xuechan |chapter=Introduction |date=2021-11-20 |title=The Spratly Islands and International Law |pages=1–12 |url=https://brill.com/display/book/9789004504332/BP000001.xml |access-date=2024-09-20 |publisher=Brill Nijhoff |language=en |isbn=978-90-04-50433-2}}</ref> The Chinese [[Kuomintang]] force withdrew from most of the Spratly and Paracel Islands after they retreated to Taiwan from the opposing [[Chinese Communist Party]] due to their losses in the [[Chinese Civil War]] and the founding of the People's Republic of China (PRC) in 1949.<ref name="encarta" /> Taiwan quietly withdrew troops from Taiping Island in 1950, but then reinstated them in 1956 in response to [[Tomás Cloma]]'s sudden claim to the island as part of [[Free Territory of Freedomland|Freedomland]].<ref>Kivimäki, Timo (2002), War Or Peace in the South China Sea?, Nordic Institute of Asian Studies (NIAS), {{ISBN|87-91114-01-2}}</ref> {{as of|2013}}, Taiping Island is administered by Taiwan.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://thediplomat.com/2013/09/taiwans-power-grab-in-the-south-china-sea/|title=Taiwan's Power Grab in the South China Sea|access-date=24 January 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140201084632/https://thediplomat.com/2013/09/taiwans-power-grab-in-the-south-china-sea/|archive-date=1 February 2014|url-status=live}}</ref>

After pulling out its garrison in 1950 when the Republic of China evacuated to Taiwan, when the Filipino Tomas Cloma uprooted an ROC flag on Itu Aba laid claim to the Spratly Islands and, Taiwan again regarrisoned Itu Aba in 1956.<ref>{{Harvnb|Morley|Nishihara|1997|pp=125–126}}</ref> In 1946, the Americans allegedly reminded the Philippines at its independence that the Spratly Islands were not Philippine territory, both to not anger [[Chiang Kai-shek]] in China and because the Spratly Islands were not part of the Philippines per the [[Treaty of Paris (1898)|1898 treaty Spain signed with the United States]].<ref name="Kivimaki2002" /> However, no document was found to that effect. The Philippines then claimed the Spratly Islands in 1971 under [[Ferdinand Marcos|President Marcos]], after Taiwanese troops attacked and shot at a Philippine fishing boat on Itu Aba.<ref name="Pak2000">{{cite book |title=The Law of the Sea and Northeast Asia: A Challenge for Cooperation |first=Hŭi-gwŏn |last=Pak |volume=35 of Publications on Ocean Development |edition=illustrated |year=2000 |publisher=Martinus Nijhoff Publishers |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=szcywfgKySAC&pg=PA92 |isbn=978-90-411-1407-5 |pages=91–92 |access-date=16 December 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160101132938/https://books.google.com/books?id=szcywfgKySAC&pg=PA92 |archive-date=1 January 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Taiwan's garrison from 1946 to 1950 and 1956-now on Itu Aba represents an "effective occupation" of the Spratly Islands.<ref name="Pak2000" /><ref name="Lin2008">{{cite news |last=Lin |first=Cheng-yi |date=22 February 2008 |title=Buffer benefits in Spratly initiative |url=http://www.atimes.com/atimes/China/JB22Ad02.html |newspaper=Asia Times Online |access-date=14 May 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131019105844/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/China/JB22Ad02.html |archive-date=19 October 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref> China established a coastal defence system against Japanese pirates or smugglers.<ref name="Pak2000p81">{{Harvnb|Pak|2000|p=81}}</ref>

[[File:Bia VNCH Truong Sa - Republic of Vietnam Spratly Islands Territorial Marker.JPG|thumb|upright|Territorial monument of the [[Republic of Vietnam]] (South Vietnam) on [[Southwest Cay]], Spratly Islands, defining the cay as part of Vietnamese territory ([[Phước Tuy Province]]). Used from 22 August 1956 until 1975, when replaced by another one from the [[Socialist Republic of Vietnam]] (successor state after the [[Fall of Saigon]])]]

In 1958, China issued a declaration defining its territorial waters that encompassed the Spratly Islands. [[North Vietnam]]'s prime minister, [[Phạm Văn Đồng]], sent a formal note to [[Zhou Enlai]], stating that the Government of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV) respected the Chinese decision regarding the {{convert|12|nmi|km mi|adj=on|abbr=on}} limit of territorial waters.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mfa.gov.cn/mfa_chn/zyxw_602251/W020140608602937535933.zip|title=中华人民共和国外交部|access-date=9 June 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150124004920/http://www.mfa.gov.cn/mfa_chn/zyxw_602251/W020140608602937535933.zip|archive-date=24 January 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> While accepting the 12-nmi principal with respect to territorial waters, the letter did not actually address the issue of defining actual territorial boundaries.
North Vietnam recognised China's claims on the Paracels and Spratly Islands during the [[Vietnam War]] as it was being supported by China. Only after winning the war and conquering [[South Vietnam]] did [[North Vietnam]] retract its recognition and admitted it recognised them as part of China to receive aid from China in fighting the Americans.<ref>{{Harvnb|Morley|Nishihara|1997|pp=126–127}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thanhniennews.com/politics/late-vietnam-pms-letter-gives-no-legal-basis-to-chinas-island-claim-26821.html |title=Late Vietnam PM's letter gives no legal basis to China's island claim |author=Thao Vi |date=2 June 2014 |publisher=Thanh Nien News |access-date=7 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160315081937/http://www.thanhniennews.com/politics/late-vietnam-pms-letter-gives-no-legal-basis-to-chinas-island-claim-26821.html |archive-date=15 March 2016 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

In 1987, China installed a small military structure on [[Fiery Cross Reef]] under the pretext of building an oceanic observation station and installing a [[tide gauge]] for the [[Global Sea Level Observing System]].<ref>Chanda, Nayan. "Treacherous Shoals." [[Far Eastern Economic Review]]. 13 August 1992: p14-17</ref>{{verify source|date=October 2021}} After a [[Johnson South Reef Skirmish|deadly skirmish]] with the Vietnamese Navy, China installed some military structures on more reefs in the vicinity of the Philippines and Vietnamese occupied islands and this led to escalating tensions between these countries and China over the status and ownership of reefs.

In 1988, the Vietnamese and Chinese navies engaged in a [[Johnson South Reef Skirmish|skirmish in the area of Johnson South Reef]] (also called Gạc Ma Reef in Vietnam and Yongshu Reef in China).<ref>{{cite news|last=Malig|first=Jojo|title=Chinese ships eye 'bumper harvest' in Spratly|url=http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/07/16/12/chinese-ships-eye-bumper-harvest-mabini-reef|access-date=29 October 2013|newspaper=ABS CBN News|date=17 July 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121006054737/http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/07/16/12/chinese-ships-eye-bumper-harvest-mabini-reef|archive-date=6 October 2012|url-status=live}}</ref>

Under President [[Lee Teng-hui]], Taiwan stated that "legally, historically, geographically, or in reality", all of the South China Sea and Spratly islands were Taiwan's territory and under Taiwanese sovereignty, and denounced actions undertaken there by Malaysia and the Philippines, in a statement on 13 July 1999 released by the foreign ministry of Taiwan.<ref>{{cite news |author=STRATFOR |date=14 July 1999 |title=Taiwan sticks to its guns, to U.S. chagrin |publisher=Asia Times |work=STRATFOR's Global Intelligence Update |url=http://www.atimes.com/china/AG15Ad01.html |access-date=10 March 2014 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20140325150303/http://www.atimes.com/china/AG15Ad01.html |archive-date=25 March 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Taiwan and China's claims "mirror" each other; during international talks involving the Spratly islands, China and Taiwan have cooperated with each other since both have the same claims.<ref name="Pak2000" /><ref>{{cite news |last=Sisci |first=Francesco |date=29 June 2010 |title=US toe-dipping muddies South China Sea |url=http://www.atimes.com/atimes/China/LG29Ad01.html |newspaper=Asia Times Online |access-date=14 May 2014 |archive-url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20130710122041/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/China/LG29Ad01.html |archive-date=10 July 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

It was unclear whether France continued its claim to the islands after World War II, since none of the islands, other than Taiping Island, was habitable. The [[South Vietnam]]ese government took over the [[Trường Sa]] administration after the defeat of the French at the end of the [[First Indochina War]]. "The French bestowed its titles, rights, and claims over the two island chains to the Republic of Vietnam (RoV) in accordance with the [[1954 Geneva Conference|Geneva Accords]]", said Nguyen Hong Thao, Associate Professor at Faculty of Law, Vietnam National University.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Nguyen |first=Hong Thao |date=4 May 2012 |title=Vietnam's Position on the Sovereignty over the Paracels & the Spratlys: Its Maritime Claim |url=http://archive.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/obj/irc/doc/pubs/nrcc49212/nrcc49212.pdf |journal=Journal of East Asia International Law, V JEAIL (1) 2012 |access-date=7 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306081414/http://archive.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/obj/irc/doc/pubs/nrcc49212/nrcc49212.pdf |archive-date=6 March 2016}}</ref>

In 1999, a Philippine navy ship (Number 57 – [[BRP Sierra Madre (LT-57)|BRP ''Sierra Madre'']]) was purposely run aground near [[Second Thomas Shoal]] to enable establishment of an outpost. {{As of|2014}} it had not been removed, and Filipino marines have been stationed aboard since the grounding.<ref>{{cite news|last=Keck|first=Zachary|title=Second Thomas Shoal Tensions Intensify|url=https://thediplomat.com/2014/03/second-thomas-shoal-tensions-intensify/|access-date=17 March 2014|newspaper=The Diplomat|date=13 March 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140317085745/https://thediplomat.com/2014/03/second-thomas-shoal-tensions-intensify/|archive-date=17 March 2014|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=A game of shark and minnow|url=https://www.nytimes.com/newsgraphics/2013/10/27/south-china-sea/|access-date=17 March 2014|newspaper=The New York Times|date=24 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170827062045/http://www.nytimes.com/newsgraphics/2013/10/27/south-china-sea/|archive-date=27 August 2017|url-status=live|last1=Himmelman |first1=Jeff |last2=Gilbertson |first2=Ashley}}</ref>

==== Conflicts in the 21st century ====
Taiwan and mainland China are largely strategically aligned on the Spratly islands issue, since they both claim exactly the same area, so Taiwan's control of Itu Aba (Taiping) island is viewed as an extension of China's claim.<ref name="Wortzel">{{cite book |title=Dictionary of Contemporary Chinese Military History |first1=Larry M. |last1=Wortzel |author-link1=Larry Wortzel |first2=Robin D. S. |last2=Higham |edition=illustrated |year=1999 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rfu-hR8msh4C&pg=PA180 |page=180 |isbn=978-0-313-29337-5 |access-date=16 December 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160101102529/https://books.google.com/books?id=rfu-hR8msh4C&pg=PA180 |archive-date=1 January 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref> Taiwan and China both claim the entire island chain, while all the other claimants only claim portions of them. China has proposed co-operation with Taiwan against all the other countries claiming the islands. Taiwanese lawmakers have demanded that Taiwan fortify Itu Aba (Taiping) island with weapons to defend against the Vietnamese, and both China and Taiwanese NGOs have pressured Taiwan to expand Taiwan's military capabilities on the island, which played a role in Taiwan expanding the island's runway in 2012.<ref name="KastnerAug2012">{{cite news |last=Kastner |first=Jens |date=10 August 2012 |title=Taiwan pours cement on maritime dispute |url=http://www.atimes.com/atimes/China/NH10Ad01.html |newspaper=Asia Times Online |access-date=10 March 2014 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20140325150413/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/China/NH10Ad01.html |archive-date=25 March 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref> China has urged Taiwan to co-operate and offered Taiwan a share in oil and gas resources while shutting out all the other rival claimants. Taiwanese lawmakers have complained about repeated Vietnamese aggression and trespassing on Taiwan's Itu Aba (Taiping), and Taiwan has started viewing Vietnam as an enemy over the Spratly Islands, not China.<ref>{{cite news |last=Kastner |first=Jens |url=http://www.atimes.com/atimes/China/NF13Ad01.html |title=Taiwan circling South China Sea bait |newspaper=Asia Times Online |date=13 June 2012 |access-date=14 May 2014 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20140325150328/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/China/NF13Ad01.html |archive-date=25 March 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Taiwan's state run oil company [[CPC Corporation]]'s board director Chiu Yi has called Vietnam as the "greatest threat" to Taiwan.<ref name="KastnerAug2012" /> Taiwan's airstrip on Taiping has irritated Vietnam.<ref>{{cite news |last=Lee |first=Peter |date=29 July 2010 |title=US goes fishing for trouble |url=http://www.atimes.com/atimes/China/LG29Ad03.html |newspaper=Asia Times Online |page=2 |access-date=14 May 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140517153132/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/China/LG29Ad03.html |archive-date=17 May 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref> China views Taiwan's expansion of its military and airstrip on Taiping as benefiting China's position against the other rival claimants from southeast Asian countries.<ref name="Lin2008" /> China's claims to the Spratly Islands benefit from legal weight because of Taiwan's presence on Itu Aba, while America on the other hand has regularly ignored Taiwan's claims in the South China Sea and does not include Taiwan in any talks on dispute resolution for the area.<ref>{{cite news |last=Womack |first=Brantly |date=14 February 2013 |title=Rethinking the US-China-Taiwan triangle |url=http://www.atimes.com/atimes/China/CHINA-01-140213.html |newspaper=Asia Times Online |access-date=14 May 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130214094938/http://atimes.com/atimes/China/CHINA-01-140213.html |archive-date=14 February 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

Taiwan performed live fire military exercises on Taiping island in September 2012; reports said that Vietnam was explicitly named by the Taiwanese military as the "imaginary enemy" in the drill. Vietnam protested against the exercises as violation of its territory and "voiced anger", demanding that Taiwan stop the drill. Among the inspectors of the live fire drill were Taiwanese national legislators, adding to the tensions.<ref>
* {{cite news |date=5 September 2012 |title=Photo: Taiwan military exercises with Vietnam as an imaginary enemy generals admit Taiping Island |url=http://www.newshome.us/news-2144953-Photo:-Taiwan-military-exercises-with-Vietnam-as-an-imaginary-enemy-generals-admit-Taiping-Island.html |publisher=newshome.us |access-date=14 May 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140517134232/http://www.newshome.us/news-2144953-Photo:-Taiwan-military-exercises-with-Vietnam-as-an-imaginary-enemy-generals-admit-Taiping-Island.html |archive-date=17 May 2014}}
* {{cite web |date=23 April 2013 |title=Taiwan holds live-fire drill in Spratlys: official |url=http://www.roc-taiwan.org/LV/ct.asp?xItem=372040&ctNode=7925&mp=507 |publisher=Taipei Mission in the Republic of Latvia |access-date=14 May 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140814162557/http://www.roc-taiwan.org/LV/ct.asp?xItem=372040&ctNode=7925&mp=507 |archive-date=14 August 2014}}
* {{cite news |agency=Agence France-Presse |date=1 March 2013 |title=Taiwan to stage live-fire drill on disputed island |url=http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Taiwan_to_stage_live-fire_drill_on_disputed_island_999.html |newspaper=Space Daily |access-date=14 May 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140517121024/http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Taiwan_to_stage_live-fire_drill_on_disputed_island_999.html |archive-date=17 May 2014 |url-status=live}}
* {{cite news |agency=Press Trust of India |date=1 March 2013 |title=Taiwan to stage live-fire drill on disputed island |url=http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/international/taiwan-to-stage-livefire-drill-on-disputed-island/article4465611.ece |newspaper=Business Line |access-date=14 May 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140517153025/http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/international/taiwan-to-stage-livefire-drill-on-disputed-island/article4465611.ece |archive-date=17 May 2014 |url-status=live}}
* {{cite news |last=Yeh |first=Joseph |date=23 April 2013 |title=Drills held on Taiwan-controlled Taiping island in South China Sea |url=http://www.chinapost.com.tw/taiwan/national/national-news/2013/04/23/376779/Drills-held.htm |newspaper=China Post |access-date=14 May 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140517122222/http://www.chinapost.com.tw/taiwan/national/national-news/2013/04/23/376779/Drills-held.htm |archive-date=17 May 2014 |url-status=live}}
* {{cite news |publisher=Bloomberg News |date=23 August 2012 |title=Vietnam Demands Taiwan Cancel Spratly Island Live Fire Drill |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-08-23/vietnam-demands-taiwan-cancel-spratly-island-live-fire-drill.html |access-date=14 May 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140517153329/http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-08-23/vietnam-demands-taiwan-cancel-spratly-island-live-fire-drill.html |archive-date=17 May 2014 |url-status=live}}
* {{cite news |publisher=thanhniennews |date=27 August 2012 |title=Vietnam protests Taiwan's fire drill exercise plan on island |url=http://www.vietnambreakingnews.com/2012/08/vietnam-protests-taiwans-fire-drill-exercise-plan-on-island/ |access-date=14 May 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140325175907/http://www.vietnambreakingnews.com/2012/08/vietnam-protests-taiwans-fire-drill-exercise-plan-on-island/ |archive-date=25 March 2014 |url-status=live}}
* {{cite news |date=23 August 2012 |title=Vietnam protests Taiwan's fire drill exercise plan on island |url=http://thanhniennews.com/politics/vietnam-protests-taiwans-fire-drill-exercise-plan-on-island-5633.html |newspaper=Thanh Nien News |access-date=14 May 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140517132601/http://thanhniennews.com/politics/vietnam-protests-taiwans-fire-drill-exercise-plan-on-island-5633.html |archive-date=17 May 2014 |url-status=dead}}
* {{cite news |agency=Agence France-Presse |date=1 March 2013 |title=Taiwan to hold live-fire drill in Spratlys |url=http://www.interaksyon.com/article/56128/taiwan-to-hold-live-fire-drill-in-spratlys |newspaper=InterAksyon |access-date=14 May 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140824223619/http://www.interaksyon.com/article/56128/taiwan-to-hold-live-fire-drill-in-spratlys |archive-date=24 August 2014}}
* {{cite news |date=5 September 2012 |title=Taiwan unmoved by Vietnam's protest against Taiping drill |url=http://www.wantchinatimes.com/news-subclass-cnt.aspx?id=20120905000091&cid=1101 |newspaper=Want China Times: "Knowing China through Taiwan" |access-date=14 May 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140325175721/http://www.wantchinatimes.com/news-subclass-cnt.aspx?id=20120905000091&cid=1101 |archive-date=25 March 2014}}
* {{cite news |agency=Agence France-Presse |date=12 August 2012 |title=Vietnam angry at Taiwan as it stages live-fire drill in the Spratlys |url=http://www.philippinenews.com/read/latest-news/8067-vietnams-angry-at-taiwan-as-it-stages-live-fire-drill-in-the-spratlys.html |newspaper=Philippines News |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140325175801/http://www.philippinenews.com/read/latest-news/8067-vietnams-angry-at-taiwan-as-it-stages-live-fire-drill-in-the-spratlys.html |archive-date=25 March 2014}}
* {{cite news |date=21 August 2012 |title=Taiwan to conduct live-fire Taiping Island drill in September |url=http://www.chinapost.com.tw/taiwan/foreign-affairs/2012/08/21/351637/Taiwan-to.htm |newspaper=China Post |access-date=14 May 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140517122233/http://www.chinapost.com.tw/taiwan/foreign-affairs/2012/08/21/351637/Taiwan-to.htm |archive-date=17 May 2014 |url-status=live}}
* {{cite news |date=21 August 2012 |title=Taiwan plans live-fire drill on Taiping in South China Sea |url=http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2012/08/21/2003540824 |newspaper=Taipei Times |access-date=14 May 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140517152246/http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2012/08/21/2003540824 |archive-date=17 May 2014 |url-status=live}}
* {{cite news |last=Carpenter |first=Ted Galen |date=28 February 2013 |title=Taiwan Challenges Its Neighbors |url=http://nationalinterest.org/commentary/taiwan-challenges-its-neighbors-8164 |newspaper=The National Interest |access-date=10 March 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140517151657/http://nationalinterest.org/commentary/taiwan-challenges-its-neighbors-8164 |archive-date=17 May 2014 |url-status=live}}
* {{cite news |last=Carpenter |first=Ted Galen |date=28 February 2013 |title=Taiwan Challenges Its Neighbors |url=http://www.cato.org/publications/commentary/taiwan-challenges-its-neighbors |newspaper=The National Interest |publisher=Cato Institute |access-date=10 March 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140517152742/http://www.cato.org/publications/commentary/taiwan-challenges-its-neighbors |archive-date=17 May 2014 |url-status=live}}
* {{cite news |last=Carpenter |first=Ted Galen |date=4 March 2013 |title=Taiwan Challenges Its Neighbors |url=http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2013/03/04/taiwan_challenges_its_neighbors_117254.html |newspaper=Real Clear Politics |publisher=Cato Institute |access-date=10 March 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140517121758/http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2013/03/04/taiwan_challenges_its_neighbors_117254.html |archive-date=17 May 2014 |url-status=live}}
* {{cite news |last=Carpenter |first=Ted Galen |date=28 February 2013 |title=Taiwan Challenges Its Neighbors |url=http://libertyvoter.org/2013/02/taiwan-challenges-its-neighbors/ |publisher=LibertyVoter.org |access-date=10 March 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006082519/http://libertyvoter.org/2013/02/taiwan-challenges-its-neighbors/ |archive-date=6 October 2014 |url-status=live}}
* {{cite news |author=thanhniennews |date=27 August 2012 |title=Vietnam protests Taiwan's fire drill exercise plan on island |url=http://www.vietnambreakingnews.com/2012/08/vietnam-protests-taiwans-fire-drill-exercise-plan-on-island/ |newspaper=Vietnam Breaking News |access-date=1 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151016034439/http://www.vietnambreakingnews.com/2012/08/vietnam-protests-taiwans-fire-drill-exercise-plan-on-island/ |archive-date=16 October 2015 |url-status=live}}
* {{cite news |author=(AFP) |date=12 August 2012 |title=Vietnam's angry at Taiwan as it stages live-fire drill in the Spratlys |url=http://www.philippinenews.com/read/latest-news/8067-vietnams-angry-at-taiwan-as-it-stages-live-fire-drill-in-the-spratlys.html |newspaper=Philippines News |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140325175801/http://www.philippinenews.com/read/latest-news/8067-vietnams-angry-at-taiwan-as-it-stages-live-fire-drill-in-the-spratlys.html |archive-date=25 March 2014}}
* {{cite news |date=23 August 2012 |title=Vietnam protests Taiwan's fire drill exercise plan on island |url=http://thanhniennews.com/politics/vietnam-protests-taiwans-fire-drill-exercise-plan-on-island-5633.html |newspaper=Thanh Nien News |access-date=14 May 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140517132601/http://thanhniennews.com/politics/vietnam-protests-taiwans-fire-drill-exercise-plan-on-island-5633.html |archive-date=17 May 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

In May 2011, Chinese patrol boats attacked two Vietnamese oil exploration ships near the Spratly Islands.{{citation needed|date=August 2023}} Also in May 2011, Chinese naval vessels opened fire on Vietnamese fishing vessels operating off East London Reef (Da Dong). The three Chinese military vessels were numbered 989, 27 and 28, and they showed up with a small group of Chinese fishing vessels. Another Vietnamese fishing vessel was fired on near [[Fiery Cross Reef]] (Chu Thap). The Chief Commander of Border Guards in Phú Yên Province, Vietnam, reported that a total of four Vietnamese vessels were fired upon by Chinese naval vessels.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rfa.org/english/news/vietnam/chinese-boats-cause-thousands-of-dollars-in-damage-to-vietnamese-fishermens-nets-11182015161046.html|title=Chinese Boats Cause Thousands of Dollars in Damage to Vietnamese Fishermen's Nets|access-date=16 July 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160731144540/http://www.rfa.org/english/news/vietnam/chinese-boats-cause-thousands-of-dollars-in-damage-to-vietnamese-fishermens-nets-11182015161046.html|archive-date=31 July 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>{{failed verification|date=July 2016}} These incidents involving Chinese forces sparked mass protests in Vietnam, especially in [[Hanoi]] and [[Ho Chi Minh City]],<ref>{{cite news |title=South China Sea: Vietnamese hold anti-Chinese protest |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-13661779 |date=5 June 2011 |publisher=BBC News Asia-Pacific |access-date=21 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180613163003/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-13661779 |archive-date=13 June 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref> and in various Vietnamese communities in the West (namely in the US state of California and in Paris) over attacks on Vietnamese citizens and the intrusion into what Vietnam claimed was part of its territory.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/vietnamese/vietnam/2011/06/110605_viet_protest_la.shtml |date=June 2011 |publisher=BBC News Tiếng Việt |language=vi |title=Người Việt biểu tình chống TQ ở Los Angeles |access-date=14 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120525035141/http://www.bbc.co.uk/vietnamese/vietnam/2011/06/110605_viet_protest_la.shtml |archive-date=25 May 2012 |url-status=live}}</ref>

In June 2011, the Philippines began officially referring to parts of the South China Sea as the "[[West Philippine Sea]]" and the [[Reed Bank]] as "Recto Bank".<ref>{{cite news |url=http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/13833/%E2%80%98it%E2%80%99s-west-philippine-sea%E2%80%99 |date=11 June 2011 |access-date=28 June 2012 |title=It's West Philippine Sea |newspaper=Inquirer.net |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111230122359/http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/13833/%E2%80%98it%E2%80%99s-west-philippine-sea%E2%80%99 |archive-date=30 December 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/14685/name-game-ph-now-calls-spratly-isle-%E2%80%98recto-bank%E2%80%99 |date=14 June 2011 |access-date=28 June 2012 |title=Name game: PH now calls Spratly isle 'Recto Bank' |newspaper=Inquirer.net |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110807112049/http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/14685/name-game-ph-now-calls-spratly-isle-%E2%80%98recto-bank%E2%80%99 |archive-date=7 August 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref>

In July 2012, the [[National Assembly of Vietnam]] passed a law demarcating Vietnamese sea borders to include the Spratly and Paracel Islands.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/22/world/asia/china-criticizes-vietnam-in-dispute-over-islands.html |title=Vietnam Law on Contested Islands Draws China's Ire |date=21 June 2012 |author=Jane Perlez |work=The New York Times |access-date=28 February 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170508182907/http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/22/world/asia/china-criticizes-vietnam-in-dispute-over-islands.html |archive-date=8 May 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>[http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/news/world/china-criticizes-vietnam-in-dispute-over-islands-641399/ China Criticizes Vietnam in Dispute Over Islands] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120623063435/http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/news/world/china-criticizes-vietnam-in-dispute-over-islands-641399/ |date=23 June 2012}}, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette<!-- Bot generated title --></ref>

In 2010, it was reported that the former Malaysian Prime Minister [[Mahathir Mohamad]] believed Malaysia could profit from China's economic growth through co-operation with China,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/4/27/business/6136931&sec=business |title=Mahathir: China no threat to Malaysia |newspaper=[[The Star (Malaysia)|The Star]] |date=27 April 2010 |access-date=14 May 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100430165347/http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=%2F2010%2F4%2F27%2Fbusiness%2F6136931&sec=business |archive-date=30 April 2010}}</ref> and said that China "was not a threat to anyone and was not worried about aggression from China", as well accusing the [[United States]] of provoking China and trying to turn China's neighbours against China.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://ajw.asahi.com/article/asia/around_asia/AJ2011110916910|title=Malaysia's Mahathir says China is no threat|author=Kazuto Tsukamoto|newspaper=[[The Asahi Shimbun]]|date=9 November 2011|access-date=14 May 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140517120553/https://ajw.asahi.com/article/asia/around_asia/AJ2011110916910|archive-date=17 May 2014}}</ref> Malaysian authorities displayed no concern over China conducting a military exercise at James Shoal in March 2013,<ref name="philstarDiola2014">{{cite web|url=http://www.aspistrategist.org.au/why-malaysia-isnt-afraid-of-china-for-now/|title=Why Malaysia isn't afraid of China (for now)|author=Shahriman Lockman|publisher=The Strategist: The Australian Strategic Policy Institute Blog|date=24 April 2013|access-date=14 May 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140517152545/http://www.aspistrategist.org.au/why-malaysia-isnt-afraid-of-china-for-now/|archive-date=17 May 2014|url-status=live}}</ref> with its [[Ministry of Defence (Malaysia)|Defence Minister]] [[Hishammuddin Hussein]] suggested they might work with China and saying that Malaysia had no problem with China patrolling the South China Sea, and telling ASEAN, America, and Japan that "Just because you have enemies, doesn't mean your enemies are my enemies".<ref>
* {{cite AV media|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/video/malaysia-breaks-ranks-on-south-china-sea-wLpV4lb3SnmNuf~~2KQzfA.html|title=Malaysia Breaks Ranks on South China Sea|author=Haslinda Amin|publisher=[[Bloomberg L.P.|Bloomberg]]|date=29 August 2013|access-date=14 May 2014|medium=video|series=First Up|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140517153342/http://www.bloomberg.com/video/malaysia-breaks-ranks-on-south-china-sea-wLpV4lb3SnmNuf~~2KQzfA.html|archive-date=17 May 2014|url-status=live}}
* {{cite web|url=http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/index.php/en/news/world/18640-malaysia-splits-with-asean-on-china-sea-threat|title=Malaysia splits with ASEAN on China Sea threat|work=Business Mirror|date=29 August 2013|access-date=14 May 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140517153540/http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/index.php/en/news/world/18640-malaysia-splits-with-asean-on-china-sea-threat|archive-date=17 May 2014}}</ref> However, until present Malaysia still maintained a balance relations with the countries involved in this dispute.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2014/06/25/1338864/why-malaysia-unlike-philippines-keeps-quiet-sea-row|title=Why Malaysia, unlike Philippines, keeps quiet on sea row|author=Camille Diola|newspaper=[[The Philippine Star]]|date=25 June 2014|access-date=25 June 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140627165932/http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2014/06/25/1338864/why-malaysia-unlike-philippines-keeps-quiet-sea-row|archive-date=27 June 2014|url-status=live}}</ref> But since China has started encroaching its territorial waters,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.theborneopost.com/2015/09/27/presence-of-china-coast-guard-ship-at-luconia-shoals-spooks-local-fishermen/|title=Presence of China Coast Guard ship at Luconia Shoals spooks local fishermen|newspaper=[[The Borneo Post]]|date=27 September 2015|access-date=28 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150929005731/http://www.theborneopost.com/2015/09/27/presence-of-china-coast-guard-ship-at-luconia-shoals-spooks-local-fishermen/|archive-date=29 September 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> Malaysia has become active in condemning China.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.therakyatpost.com/news/2015/08/15/malaysia-lodges-diplomatic-protest-against-intrusion-at-beting-patinggi-ali/|title=Malaysia lodges diplomatic protest against intrusion at Beting Patinggi Ali|work=[[Bernama]]|publisher=The Rakyat Post|date=15 August 2015|access-date=16 August 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150929024442/http://www.therakyatpost.com/news/2015/08/15/malaysia-lodges-diplomatic-protest-against-intrusion-at-beting-patinggi-ali/|archive-date=29 September 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/malaysia-slams-china-s/2200744.html|title=Malaysia slams China's 'provocation' in South China Sea|author1=Ben Blanchard|author2=Richard Pullin|agency=Reuters|publisher=[[Channel News Asia]]|date=18 October 2015|access-date=20 October 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151019120244/http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/malaysia-slams-china-s/2200744.html|archive-date=19 October 2015}}</ref>

The editorial of the Taiwanese news website ''Want China Times'' accused America of being behind the May 2014 flareup in the South China Sea, saying that Vietnam rammed a Chinese vessel on 2 May over an oil rig drilling platform and the Philippines detained 11 Chinese fishermens occurred because of Obama's visit to the region and that they were incited by America "behind the scenes". ''Want China Times'' claimed America ordered Vietnam on 7 May to complain about the drilling platform, and noted that a joint military exercise was happening at this time between the Philippines and America, and also noted that the American ''New York Times'' newspaper supported Vietnam.<ref>[http://www.wantchinatimes.com/news-subclass-cnt.aspx?cid=1701&MainCatID=17&id=20140513000104 Editorial] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140517152216/http://www.wantchinatimes.com/news-subclass-cnt.aspx?cid=1701&MainCatID=17&id=20140513000104 |date=17 May 2014}}, 13 May 2014, ''Want China Times''</ref>

In a series of news stories on 16 April 2015, it was revealed, through photos taken by [[Airbus]], that China had been building an airstrip on Fiery Cross Reef, one of the southern islands. The {{convert|10000|ft|0|adj=mid|-long}} runway covers a significant portion of the island, and is viewed as a possible strategic threat to other countries with claims to the islands, such as [[Vietnam]] and the [[Philippines]].

Champa historically had a large presence in the South China Sea. The Vietnamese broke Champa's power in [[Cham–Vietnamese War (1471)|an invasion of Champa in 1471]], and then finally conquered the last remnants of the Cham people in an invasion in 1832. A Cham named Katip Suma who received Islamic education in Kelantan declared a [[Jihad]] against the Vietnamese, and fighting continued until the Vietnamese crushed the remnants of the resistance in 1835. The Cham organisation Front de Libération du Champa was part of the [[United Front for the Liberation of Oppressed Races]], which waged war against the Vietnamese for independence in the [[Vietnam War]] along with the [[Degar|Montagnard]] and [[Khmer Krom]] minorities. The last remaining FULRO insurgents surrendered to the United Nations in 1992.

The Vietnamese government fears that evidence of [[Champa]]'s influence over the disputed area in the South China Sea would bring attention to human rights violations and killings of ethnic minorities in Vietnam such as in the 2001 and 2004 uprisings, and lead to the issue of Cham autonomy being brought into the dispute, since the Vietnamese conquered the Hindu and Muslim [[Cham people]] in a war in 1832.<ref name="Bray">{{cite journal |last=Bray |first=Adam |date=16 June 2014 |title=The Cham: Descendants of Ancient Rulers of South China Sea Watch Maritime Dispute From Sidelines |url=http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/06/140616-south-china-sea-vietnam-china-cambodia-champa/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140924055038/http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/06/140616-south-china-sea-vietnam-china-cambodia-champa/ |archive-date=24 September 2014 |journal=National Geographic News |access-date=3 September 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

Japanese scholar Taoka Shunji said in a journal article that the assumption amongst many Japanese people that the territory of the Philippines was being invaded by China, was incorrect. He pointed out that the Spratly islands were not part of the Philippines, when the US acquired the Philippines from Spain in the [[Treaty of Paris (1898)|Treaty of Paris in 1898]], and when the Japanese-ruled Taiwan itself had annexed the Spratly islands in 1938, the US-ruled Philippines did not challenge the move and never asserted that it was their territory. He also pointed out that other countries did not need to do full land reclamation since they already control islands, and that the reason China engaged in extensive land reclamation is because they needed it to build airfields since China only has control over reefs.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Taoka |first=Shunji |others=Translated by Rumi Sakamoto |date=21 September 2015 |title='China Threat Theory' Drives Japanese War Legislation |url=http://www.japanfocus.org/-Taoka-Shunji/4380/article.html |journal=The Asia-Pacific Journal: Japan Focus |volume=13 |issue=38–5 |access-date=26 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151016034439/http://www.japanfocus.org/-Taoka-Shunji/4380/article.html |archive-date=16 October 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref>

The "Moro" as "people", is used to describe both the Filipino Muslims and their homeland. Ancestors of Moro people were the owners of Spratly Islands prior to the arrival of the Spanish colonials in the 16th century, according to the Sultan of Sulu in the southern Philippines reported in a local paper. "China has no right over the Spratly Islands in what it calls the South China Sea because that is part of our ancestral domain," Majaraj Julmuner Jannaral, Sultanate information officer, told the Philippine Star. "The Spratly Archipelago is part of the Sulu Sea (the inner area around the islands in the southern Philippines, which is part of the [[West Philippine Sea]] (designation of parts of the South China Sea claimed by the Philippines to be part of its EEZ)," Jannaral concluded. "Exploration of the marine territory and the waters around the Spratly Archipelago, Palawan in southwestern Philippines and the southern Philippines, belong to the residents in those areas," he added. The Sultanate of Sulu claims historic proprietary rights over the Spratly Islands since before the Spanish colonial era.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://gulfnews.com/world/asia/philippines/spratly-islands-long-part-of-filipino-muslims-ancestral-domain-1.838413 |title=Spratly Islands long part of Filipino-Muslim's ancestral domain |date=14 July 2011}}</ref>

Various incidents of fishing boats being harassed by Chinese warships have occurred.<ref name="Archived copy">{{Cite news|last1=Chaudhury|first1=Dipanjan Roy|title=Chinese aggression in South China Sea & East China Sea face strong pushback|newspaper=The Economic Times|url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/chinese-aggression-in-south-china-sea-east-china-sea-face-strong-pushback/articleshow/75344181.cms|url-status=live|access-date=6 May 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200517092736/https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/chinese-aggression-in-south-china-sea-east-china-sea-face-strong-pushback/articleshow/75344181.cms|archive-date=17 May 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/04/philippines-backs-vietnam-china-sinks-fishing-boat-200409022328432.html |title=Philippines backs Vietnam after China sinks fishing boat |access-date=6 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200423010710/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/04/philippines-backs-vietnam-china-sinks-fishing-boat-200409022328432.html |archive-date=23 April 2020 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/International-relations/Vietnam-protests-China-s-new-South-China-Sea-districts |title=Vietnam protests China's new South China Sea districts |access-date=6 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200422220653/https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/International-relations/Vietnam-protests-China-s-new-South-China-Sea-districts |archive-date=22 April 2020 |url-status=live}}</ref> At least 2 vessels were rammed or sunk. One was a Vietnamese ship attacked by a Chinese coastguard vessel, and another was a Filipino ship rammed and sunk by a Chinese fishing boat who let the Filipino fishermen drift at sea without giving aid. The stranded fishermen were later rescued by a Vietnamese ship.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/13/world/asia/south-china-sea-philippines.html |title=Sinking of Philippine Boat Puts South China Sea Back at Issue |newspaper=The New York Times |date=13 June 2019 |access-date=6 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200422141850/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/13/world/asia/south-china-sea-philippines.html |archive-date=22 April 2020 |url-status=live |last1=Gutierrez |first1=Jason |last2=Beech |first2=Hannah}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/06/15/19/how-the-vietnamese-rescued-pinoy-fishermen-rammed-by-chinese-vessel |title=How the Vietnamese rescued Pinoy fishermen rammed by Chinese vessel |date=14 June 2019 |access-date=6 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200414012449/https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/06/15/19/how-the-vietnamese-rescued-pinoy-fishermen-rammed-by-chinese-vessel |archive-date=14 April 2020 |url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2017, the United States despite not being a claimant in the Spratly dispute, reported using [[Freedom of Navigation Operations|freedom of navigation operations]] (FONOPs) to challenge what it deemed as excessive and illegal maritime claims from multiple Asia-Pacific states including Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Maldives, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, and Vietnam.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Panda|first=Ankit|title=In 2017, US Freedom of Navigation Operations Targeted 10 Asian Countries — Not Just China|url=https://thediplomat.com/2018/01/in-2017-us-freedom-of-navigation-operations-targeted-10-asian-countries-not-just-china/|access-date=2021-12-08|website=The Diplomat |language=en-US}}</ref>

In 2022, Vietnam demanded that Taiwan cease conducting [[live fire exercise]]s at the Spratly Islands.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Vu |first1=Minh |title=Vietnam demands Taiwan cancel military drills in Spratlys |url=https://hanoitimes.vn/vietnam-demands-taiwan-cancel-military-drills-in-spratlys-320214.html |website=Hanoi Times |access-date=22 March 2022 |language=en |date=12 March 2022|quote='The fact that Taiwan continues to hold live-fire drills in the waters around Ba Binh in Vietnam's Truong Sa Islands is a serious violation of Vietnam's sovereignty over these islands, threatening peace, maritime stability, safety and security, causing tension, and complicating the situation in the East Sea (referring to the South China Sea),' Spokesperson Le Thi Thu Hang said Friday}}</ref>