Editing Paracel Islands (section)

===== 1368–1912 =====
Relevant local annals and other historic materials of the [[Ming dynasty|Ming]] (1368–1644) and the [[Qing dynasty|Qing]] (1644–1912) dynasties continued to make reference to the South China Sea islands as China's territory.{{citation needed|reason=contain references to the South China Sea islands as China's territory|date=December 2010}} The [[Qiongshan District|Qiongzhou]] Prefecture (the highest administrative authority in Hainan), exercised jurisdiction over the Paracel and Spratly Islands in the Ming and Qing Dynasties.

In the 19th century, Europeans found that Chinese fishermen from Hainan annually sojourned on the Paracel and Spratly Islands for part of the year.<ref>{{harvnb|Kivimäki|2002|p=9}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|editor-last1=Bateman|editor-first1=Sam|editor-last2=Emmers|editor-first2=Ralf|year=2008|title=Security and International Politics in the South China Sea: Towards a co-operative management regime |publisher=Taylor & Francis |isbn=978-0203885246 |page=43 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9VrMXX3CgBMC}}</ref> For three months each year between 1881 and 1884, the German Imperial Navy sent two boats (the ship ''Freya'' and the warship ''Iltis'') to study and map the Paracel Islands without either seeking the permission of or incurring protest by the Chinese government. This mission was finished without any problems and the German Admiralty published the results in 1885 in a document called "Die Paracel-Inseln" (The Paracel Islands).{{sfn|Bonnet|2012|p=14}} In the period 1884 to 1885 the Tientsin Accord and Treaty of Tientsin were signed by Chinese representatives to attempt to address issues from an undeclared war between France acting on behalf of its protectorate territories in Vietnam and China.<ref>{{cite journal|url =https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1006&context=wcaaspapers|title =Great Britain and the Sino-French War: Problems of an Involved Neutral, 1883-1885|last =Chere|first =L.M.|year =2016|journal = Selected Papers in Asian Studies: Western Conference of the Association for Asian Studies|volume =1|issue =7|pages =1–26}}</ref> During this period between the treaties the Chinese did claim the Paracels.<ref name=Tkachenko2018/> 
In 1909, [[Zhang Renjun]] ({{zh|links=no |t=張人駿}}), the [[Viceroy of Liangguang]], ordered Guangdong [[Fleet Admiral]] Li Zhun ({{lang|zh-hant|李準}}) to sail to the Paracel Islands. In June, with over 170 sailors in three warships named ''Fubo'' ({{lang|zh-hant|伏波號}}), ''Guangjin'' ({{lang|zh-hant|廣金號}}) and ''Shenhang'' ({{lang|zh-hant|琛航號}}), he inspected 15 islands, erected stone tablets engraved with each island's name, raised China's flag and fired cannons to declare the islands "sacred territory of China",<ref name=Chang1991405>{{Cite journal|last=Chang|first=Teh-Kuang|date=1991|title=China's Claim of Sovereignty over Spratly and Paracel Islands: A Historical and Legal Perspective|url=https://scholarlycommons.law.case.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1644&context=jil|journal=Case Western Reserve Journal of International Law|volume=23|pages=405|access-date=July 29, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180729141443/https://scholarlycommons.law.case.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1644&context=jil|archive-date=July 29, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> which France did not protest.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/south-asia/paracels-valid-arguments-on-both-sides|title=Paracels: Valid arguments on both sides|last=migration|date=2014-07-11|work=The Straits Times|access-date=2018-07-29 |language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180729141641/https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/south-asia/paracels-valid-arguments-on-both-sides|archive-date=July 29, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> In 1910, the Qing government decided to invite Chinese merchants to contract for the administration of the development affairs of the South China Sea islands, and demanded that officials shall provide protection and maintenance in order to highlight Chinese territory and protect its titles and interests.<ref>Myron H. Nordquist, John Norton Moore, University of Virginia, "Security flashpoints: oil, islands, sea access and military confrontation", pp. 165–174.</ref>