Four aspects of the crisis in the South China Sea

In the South China Sea, the period since 2009 has been tumultuous. It may be counted as the eighth crisis in the modern history of this contested, semi-enclosed sea. The first crisis occurred in 1909, when Japan occupied Pratas Island (Zhongsha). This provoked strong reactions in China leading to the production of modern-style sovereignty claims to Pratas and the Paracels. ¹ The second came in 1931, when France claimed sovereignty over the Paracels on behalf of its protectorate Annam (Vietnam), and in 1933 claimed sovereignty over nine islands in the Spratlys on behalf of itself. After the outbreak of the Sino-Japanese war and Japan’s occupation of Hainan in 1939, Japan established a presence both in the Paracels and Spratlys, leading to a Franco-Japanese condominium there during 1940–1945. In January 1947, the third crisis occurred as a standoff between French and Chinese expeditionary forces at Woody Island in the northern Paracels. The French backed off and settled for a division into a Franco-Vietnamese domain in the south (the Crescent group) and a Chinese in the north (the Amphitrite Group). ² The fourth came in 1956, when Thomas Cloma, a Philippines citizen, claimed much of the Spratlys as a Philippine Freedomland (Kalayaan). This provoked protests and countermoves from other claimants. The People’s Republic of China (PRC) established a permanent presence in the northern Paracels. The Republic of China (Taiwan) established a permanent presence in Itu Aba (Taiping Dao), the largest of the Spratly Islands, and South Vietnam took over the French installations in the southern Paracels (the Crescent group).