ABSTRACT
The Paracel and Spratly Islands are at the center of competing territorial, economic, and strategic interests, making the disputes reminiscent of those in the East China Sea. Yet, in contrast to the Senkaku/Diao yu conflict, the debate over the Spratlys and Paracels is complicated by the number of disputants. While the claimants to the Paracels are China, Taiwan, and Vietnam, six states assert ownership over the Spratly Islands and/or their surrounding waters: China, Taiwan, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Brunei. At present, all, with the exception of Brunei, have established a physical presence in the Spratlys. While the Spratly and Paracel Islands have little worth in themselves, the island chains take on symbolic and tangible value when put into the context of their surroundings. The islands may serve as the legal base points needed for states to gain exclusive jurisdictional rights over the waters, as well as the resources found therein. Tonnesson writes that “where early maritime mapmakers exaggerated the size and importance of the reefs in order to warn against them, modern mapmakers exaggerated their size and importance to claim them for their respective nations.”1
