Spratly Islands dispute

The Spratly Islands dispute is an ongoing territorial

dispute between China, Taiwan, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam, concerning
"ownership" of the Spratly Islands, a group of islands and associated "maritime features" (reefs,
banks, cays, etc.) located in the South China Sea. The dispute is characterised by diplomatic
stalemate and the employment of military pressure techniques (such as military occupation of
disputed territory) in the advancement of national territorial claims. All except Brunei occupy
some of the maritime features.
There has been a sharp rise in media coverage owing mainly to China's increasingly vocal
objection to the presence of American naval vessels transiting the area in order to assert the
right to freedom of navigation within international waters.
Most of the "maritime features" in this area have at least six names: The "International name",
usually in English; the "Chinese name", sometimes different for PRC and ROC (and also in
different character-sets); the Vietnamese, Philippine and Malaysian names, and also, there are
alternate names (e.g. Spratly Island is also known as Storm Island), and sometimes names with
colonial origins (French, Portuguese, Spanish, British, etc.).
The Spratly Islands are important for economic and strategic reasons. The Spratly area holds
potentially significant, but largely unexplored, reserves of oil and natural gas, it is a productive
area for world fishing, it is one of the busiest areas of commercial shipping traffic, and
surrounding countries would get an extended continental shelf if their claims were recognised.
In addition to economic incentives, the Spratlys sit astride major maritime trade routes to
Northeast Asia, giving them added significance as positions from which to monitor maritime
activity in the South China Sea and to potentially base and project military force from. In
2014, China drew increased international attention due to its dredging activities within the
Spratlys, amidst speculation it is planning to further develop its military presence in the
area. In 2015 satellite imagery revealed that China was rapidly constructing an airfield on
Fiery Cross Reef within the Spratlys whilst continuing its land reclamation activities at other
sites. Only China (PRC), Taiwan (ROC), and Vietnam have made claims based on historical
sovereignty of the islands. The Philippines, however, claims part of the area as its territory
under UNCLOS, an agreement parts of which have been ratified by the countries involved in
the Spratly islands dispute.
Conflicting claims to the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea are a
source of tension between the Philippines and the People's Republic of China. In 1989
Chinese and Philippine warships exchanged gunfire in the vicinity of the Spratly Islands.
The incident was resolved by diplomatic means. In June 1994 China protested an oil
exploration permit granted to Vaalco Energy of the United States, and to Alcorn
Petroleum and Minerals, its Philippine subsidiary. The Philippine response was to refer to a
principle of "common exploration" and development of the Spratlys. China had employed
this same principle when the Philippines had protested China's granting the United States
permission to explore in the Spratlys in 1993. China, Vietnam, Taiwan, the Philippines,
Malaysia, and Brunei all lay claim to all, or a portion, of the Spratly Islands. In June 1994 a
5-day conference on East Timor held in Manila ended with an agreement to establish a
coalition for East Timor in the Philippines and proposed a peace plan based on the gradual
withdrawal of Indonesian troops. But turmoil in the Spratlys did not end. In 1995, China
briefly occupied Mischief Reef in a part of the islands claimed by the Philippines. In spring
of 1997, Chinese warships were seen near Philippine-occupied islands in the chain. The two
countries have also traded occupation of Scarborough Shoal, heightening tensions and
prompting Manila to seek renewed American military presence. In May 1999 the Philippine
Senate ratified a new Visiting Forces Agreement with the United States, despite claims
by opponents that the VFA would give the US military the opportunity to bring nuclear
weapons, without declaration, into the Philippines, violating the Philippine constitution.
"Reactions about Spratly Island Dispute"

“We owned the West Philippines Sea”. – Philippines.

Even China is a signatory in these and they even agree with this together with
the United Nations.
South China Sea or West Philippine Sea as the Filipinos named it is
composed of several contested archipelagos or groups of islands. One of the
groups of islands currently disputed is the Spratly Group of Islands or
Kalayaan Group of Islands as, again Philippine has names it. There are
numerous countries claiming and owning the islands making it as one of the
most controversial territorial and boundary disputes in the world. Six Asian-
countries are part of the dispute including the Philippines, who claims only
parts of the group of islands along with, Brunei and Malaysia while the entire
Spratly Islands is being claimed by China (PRC), Taiwan (ROC), and
Vietnam.

Spratly/Kalayaan Group of Islands is a group of more or less 800 reefs,

islets, atolls, cays and islands. It contains less than four square kilometers of
land area spread over more than 64,976 square kilometers of sea. Palawan is
about 220 miles east and 450 nautical miles of Manila.

Philippines claim the islands in west part of the Spratly Islands or the
Kalayaan Group of Islands. The islands, reefs and cays being claimed by the
Philippines more or less 50, 7 islands and 3 reefs of this group of islands are
already occupied by the Philippines and held it under its sovereignty. Other
features claimed by the Philippines were either occupied by Vietnam, China,
Taiwan or Malaysia or unoccupied by any other countries. These are the
islands, reefs and cays claimed by the Philippines.

FRANCISCAN COLLEGE OF THE IMMACULATE

CONCEPTION
 BAYBAY CITY LEYTE
S.Y. 2018-2019

In Partial Fulfillment of the

Requirement for the Course General
Education 2 (Readings in Philippine
History)

SUBMITTED BY: Angelica Sotto

SUBMITTED TO: Bienvenida Bactasa