The Conflicting Claims in the South China Sea

Abstract

The South China Sea is a strategic location in the Far East and has historically been a major sea lane of communication linking Europe and East Asia. The whole area is under dispute between the littoral states that involved the numerous archipelagoes and gulfs. Territorial claims over islands, reefs, shoals, and atolls in the archipelagoes stem from the potentially rich sea-beds lying under the sea and the marine life there. The last two decades saw the increasing use of the military by the littoral states to stake their claims. The latest skirmishes in March 1988 between the Chinese navy and the Vietnamese troops in the Spratlys amply demonstrated the explosive situation in the region. Unless these disputes can be peacefully negotiated, the stability in the South China Sea will remain threatened.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Mar 27, 1991
Accession Number
ADA234382

Entities

People

  • Dato M. Alwi

Organizations

  • United States Army War College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Ground and Sea Platforms
  • Human Systems
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Archipelagoes
  • Asia
  • Continental Shelves
  • Explosives
  • Governments
  • Indonesia
  • Islands
  • Malaysia
  • Military Personnel
  • Navy
  • Ships
  • South China Sea
  • Southeast Asia
  • Treaties
  • United States
  • Ussr
  • War Colleges

Fields of Study

  • Environmental science

Readers

  • Asian Economic Studies
  • East Asian Political and Security Studies within the Soviet Union
  • Urban Planning and Geography.