View source for South China Sea Islands

{{Short description|Islands in the South China Sea}}
{{EngvarB|date=March 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2024}}

{{Infobox ecoregion
| name = South China Sea Islands<br><small>South China Sea Oceanic Islands</small>
| image = 
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| image_alt = 
| image_caption = 
| map = File:Schina sea 88.png
| map_size = 
| map_alt = 
| map_caption = Location of the South China Sea Islands
| biogeographic_realm = [[Indomalayan realm|Indomalayan]]
| biome = [[Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests]]
| border = 
| area = 6
| country1 = Disputed between<br />{{flag|Brunei}}
| country2 = {{flag|China}}
| country3 = {{flag|Malaysia}}
| country4 = {{flag|Philippines}}
| country5 = {{flag|Taiwan}}
| country6 = {{flag|Vietnam}}
| state1 = 
| state2 = 
| region_type = 
| bird_species = 
| mammal_species = 
| habitat_loss = 
| habitat_loss_ref = 
| conservation = Critical/endangered
|protected = 0&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup> (0
|protected_ref = )<ref name=Ecoreg>{{cite journal|first1=Eric|last1=Dinerstein|first2=David|last2=Olson|display-authors=etal|year=2017|title=An Ecoregion-Based Approach to Protecting Half the Terrestrial Realm|journal=BioScience|volume=67|issue=6|date=June 2017|pages=534–545|doi=10.1093/biosci/bix014|pmid=28608869|pmc=5451287|doi-access=free}} Supplemental material 2 table S1b.</ref>
|embedded = 
}}

The '''South China Sea Islands''' consist of over 250 [[island]]s, [[atoll]]s, [[cay]]s, [[shoal]]s, [[reef]]s, and [[seamount]]s in the [[South China Sea]]. The islands are mostly low and small and have few inhabitants. The islands and surrounding seas are subject to [[territorial disputes in the South China Sea|overlapping territorial claims]] by the countries bordering the South China Sea.

The South China Sea Islands constitute a distinct [[tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests|tropical moist broadleaf forest]] terrestrial [[ecoregion]] and the South China Sea Oceanic Islands [[marine ecoregion]].<ref name=WWF>{{WWF ecoregion|name=South China Sea Islands|id=im0148}}</ref>

==Geography==
The islands, shoals and reefs are grouped into three archipelagos, plus the [[Zhongsha Islands]] ([[Macclesfield Bank]] and [[Scarborough Shoal]]). The South China Sea Islands as defined here consist of the sea's [[oceanic islands]] but do not include the sea's continental shelf islands (like Hainan and Natuna). Collectively, they have a total land surface area of less than {{cvt|15|km2}} at low tide. The island groups include:

* The [[Paracel Islands]], disputed between the [[China|People's Republic of China]] (PRC), the [[Taiwan|Republic of China]] (ROC, a.k.a. Taiwan), and Vietnam. Occupied by the PRC following the [[Battle of the Paracel Islands]] (1974).<ref>[https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/paracel-islands/ The World Factbook] CIA World Factbook</ref>
* [[Pratas Island]] and the Vereker Banks, disputed between the PRC and the ROC, occupied by the ROC.
* The [[Spratly Islands]], disputed between the PRC, the ROC, and [[Vietnam]] (and to a lesser degree by [[Brunei]], [[Malaysia]], and the [[Philippines]], claiming various parts of the archipelago).<ref>[http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/war/spratly-claims.htm Global Security]</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://graphics.straitstimes.com/STI/STIMEDIA/Interactives/2016/02/turf-wars-on-the-south-china-sea/index.html|title=An interactive look at claims on the South China Sea|website=The Straits Times|date=21 October 2015|access-date=29 February 2016}}</ref>
** [[James Shoal]]
** [[Taiping Island]]
** [[Zhongzhou Reef]]
* The [[Zhongsha Islands]]
** [[Macclesfield Bank]] (with no land [[height above sea level|above sea level]]), disputed between the PRC,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.sansha.gov.cn/page.php?xuh=654|title=中沙群岛：隐伏在海下的暗沙群|access-date=31 August 2018|archive-date=14 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160914213022/http://www.sansha.gov.cn/page.php?xuh=654|url-status=dead}}</ref> the ROC<ref>{{cite web|url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/documents/organization/57674.pdf|date=15 November 2005|access-date=1 July 2012|title=Limits in the Seas – No. 127 Taiwan's Maritime Claims|publisher=United States Department of State}}</ref> and the Philippines.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://globalnation.inquirer.net/43171/philippines-protests-china%E2%80%99s-moving-in-on-macclesfield-bank|date=6 July 2012|access-date=6 July 2012|title=Philippines protests China's moving in on Macclesfield Bank|newspaper=Inquirer.net}}</ref>
*** [[Walker Shoal]]
** [[Scarborough Shoal]] (with only rocks above sea level), disputed between the PRC, the ROC, and the Philippines.<ref>[https://taiwantoday.tw/news.php?unit=2,23,45&post=2347 ROC reaffirms sovereignty over Huangyan Island]</ref>
**Truro Shoal (Sianfa Ansha or Shianfa Ansha 特魯暗沙; 16°20′N 116°44′E)

=== Geology ===
<!--{{Spratly Islands OSM}} or {{Spratly Islands MAP – later is inferior as of June 2024}} -->
{{Spratly Islands OSM}}
<!--{{Spratly Islands OSM}} or {{Spratly Islands MAP}} -->
{{main|Tectonics of the South China Sea}}
The geology has been extensively studied because of exploitable resources such as oil and gas and is complex. The sea floor contains [[Paleozoic]] and [[Mesozoic]] [[granite]] and [[metamorphic rock]]s.

The islands are usually [[coral reef]]s of varying ages and formations. Some have been artificially extended. In the [[Spratly Islands]] [[Reed Tablemount]] is a very large [[guyot]] over {{cvt|100|km}} across, which includes Reed Bank and Nares Bank in its geological structure.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.oceangrafix.com/chart/zoom?chart=91005|title=NGA Bathymetric Chart 91005|access-date=5 June 2024}}</ref> The second deepest [[blue hole]] (underwater sinkhole) in the world is in the Paracel Islands at [[Dragon Hole]].<ref name="Alcérreca-Huerta et al. 2024">{{Cite journal|last1=Alcérreca-Huerta|first1=Juan Carlos|last2=Reyes-Mendoza|first2=Oscar F.|last3=Sánchez-Sánchez|first3=Joan A.|last4=Álvarez-Legorreta|first4=Teresa|last5=Carrillo|first5=Laura|date=2024|title=Recent records of thermohaline profiles and water depth in the Taam ja' Blue Hole (Chetumal Bay, Mexico)|journal=Frontiers in Marine Science|volume=11|page=1387235|doi=10.3389/fmars.2024.1387235|doi-access=free}}</ref>

==Climate==
The Paracel islands have a tropical marine climate. Annual rainfall averages {{cvt|1130|mm}} and is strongly seasonal. Between May and August, the southwest trade winds bring rainfall to the islands, with the maximum rainfall in June ({{cvt|226|mm}}). The northeast trade winds bring a winter dry season, and December is the lowest-rainfall month ({{cvt|3.3|mm}}).<ref name=WWF />

The Spratly Islands have a tropical climate. The average annual temperature is {{cvt|27|C}} and ranges from {{cvt|30|C}} between May and August to {{cvt|25|C}} during the winter months. Rainfall averages {{cvt|1800|to|2200|mm}} annually. The southwest monsoon from May to November brings a five-month rainy season, and the seven-month dry season includes the March to April southeast monsoon.<ref name=WWF />

==Flora==
Many of the smaller islands are devoid of vegetation. Larger islands support terrestrial plant communities which include coral island evergreen forest, scrub forest and coastal scrub and grasses.<ref name=WWF />

There are 340 species of land plants and fungi recorded in the Paracel Islands, composed of 224 genera in 89 plant families. These include 312 species of [[flowering plant]]s (angiosperms) and five species of pteridophytes (ferns and fern allies), along with 22 species of [[macrofungi]] (larger fungi) and one [[lichen]] species. The flora of the Paracel Islands is similar to that of [[Hainan]] Island to the north.<ref name=WWF />

Humans have introduced other plants to the islands. The Chinese and Vietnamese introduced 47 more species, including [[peanut]], [[sweet potato]] and various [[vegetable]]s.

==Fauna==
There are no known native terrestrial animals on the islands.

The islands are feeding and nesting sites for large numbers of seabirds, including the [[streaked shearwater]] (''Calonectris leucomelas''), [[brown booby]] (''Sula leucogaster''), [[red-footed booby]] (''S. sula''), [[great crested tern]] (''Sterna bergii'') and [[white tern]] (''Gygis alba'').<ref name=WWF /> Seabird [[feces|faeces]] can accumulate {{cvt|10|mm}} to {{cvt|1|m}} annually. Over time, they create thick deposits of [[guano]].

[[Green sea turtle]]s (''Chelonia mydas'') and [[hawksbill sea turtle]]s (''Eretmochelys imbricata'') inhabit waters around the islands and nest on the islands' beaches.<ref name=WWF />

== History ==
From 1405 to 1433, [[Zheng He]] commanded expeditionary voyages to Southeast Asia, South Asia, Western Asia, and East Africa in [[Ming dynasty]] in China. 
In 1421, Zheng prepared the 6 edition [[Mao Kun map]], usually referred to by Chinese people as Zheng He's Navigation Map ({{zh|links=no|s=郑和航海图|t=鄭和航海圖|p=Zhèng Hé hánghǎi tú}}), which included South China Sea Islands.

In the 19th century, as a part of the occupation of [[French Indochina|Indochina]], [[France]] claimed control of the Spratlys until the 1930s, exchanging a few with the [[United Kingdom|British]]. During [[World War II]], the South China Sea islands were all occupied by [[Japan]].
The People's Republic of [[China]], founded in 1949, claimed the islands as part of the province of [[Guangdong|Canton]] (Guangdong), and later of the [[Hainan]] special administrative region.

=== Names ===
The South China Sea Islands were discussed from the 4th century BC in the Chinese texts ''[[Yizhoushu]]'', ''[[Classic of Poetry]]'', ''[[Zuo Zhuan]]'', and ''[[Guoyu (book)|Guoyu]]'', but only implicitly as part of the "Southern Territories" ({{zh|c=南州|p=Nán Zhōu|links=no}}) or "South Sea" ({{lang|zh|南海}}, ''Nán Hǎi''). During the [[Qin dynasty]] (221–206 BC), government administrators called the South China Sea Islands the "Three Mysterious Groups of Islands" ({{lang|zh|三神山}}, ''Sān Shén Shān''). But during the [[Han dynasty#Eastern Han|Eastern Han dynasty]] (23–220), the South China Sea was renamed "Rising Sea" ({{lang|zh|漲海}}, ''Zhǎng Hǎi''), so the islands were called the "Rising Sea Islands" ({{lang|zh|漲海崎头}}, ''Zhǎnghǎi Qítóu''). During the [[Jin dynasty (266–420)]], they were known as the "Coral Islands" ({{lang|zh|珊瑚洲}}, ''Shānhú Zhōu''). From the [[Tang dynasty]] (618–907) to the [[Qing dynasty]] (1644–1912), various names were used for the islands, but in general ''Changsha'' and permutations referred to the [[Paracel Islands]], while ''Shitang'' referred to the [[Spratly Islands]]. These variations included, for the Paracels: ''Jiǔrǔ Luózhōu'' ({{lang|zh|九乳螺洲}}), ''Qīzhōu Yáng'' ({{lang|zh|七洲洋}}), ''Chángshā'' ({{lang|zh|长沙}}), ''Qiānlǐ Chángshā'' ({{lang|zh|千里长沙}}), and ''Qiānlǐ Shítáng'' ({{lang|zh|千里石塘}}); for the Spratlys: ''Shítáng'' ({{lang|zh|石塘}}), ''Shíchuáng'' ({{lang|zh|石床}}), ''Wànlǐ Shítáng'' ({{lang|zh|万里石塘}}), and ''Wànlǐ Chángshā'' ({{lang|zh|万里长沙}}).<ref name="Shen">{{cite journal|title=China's Sovereignty over the South China Sea Islands: A Historical Perspective|first=Jianming|last=Shen|journal=Chinese Journal of International Law|year=2002|volume=1|issue=1|pages=94–157|doi=10.1093/oxfordjournals.cjilaw.a000432|doi-access=free}}</ref>

During the Qing, the names ''Qianli Changsha'' and ''Wanli Shitang'' were in vogue, and Chinese fishermen from [[Hainan]] named specific islands from within the groups, although the Qing officially named 15 large islands in 1909. During China's [[Republic of China (1912–1949)|Republican era]] (1912–1949), the government named the Spratlys ''Tuánshā Qúndǎo'' ({{lang|zh|团沙群岛}}) and then ''Nánshā Qúndǎo'' ({{lang|zh|南沙群岛}}); the Paracels were ''Xīshā Qúndǎo'' ({{lang|zh|西沙群岛}}); Republican authorities mapped over 291 islands, reefs, and banks in surveys in 1932, 1935, and 1947. The [[China|People's Republic of China]] has retained the Republican-era names for the island groups, supplementing them with a list of 287 names for islands, reefs, banks, and shoals in 1983.<ref name="Shen"/> From 2011 to 2012, China's [[State Oceanic Administration]] named 1,660 nameless islands and islets under its claimed jurisdiction; in 2012, China announced plans to name a further 1,664 nameless features by August 2013. The naming campaign is intended to consolidate China's sovereignty claim over [[Sansha]] ({{lang|zh|三沙}}),<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/china/2012-10/16/c_131910462.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130108083549/http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/china/2012-10/16/c_131910462.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=8 January 2013|title=China to name territorial islands|date=16 October 2012|access-date=26 October 2012|agency=Xinhua News Agency|location=Beijing}}</ref> a city which includes islands from the ''Xisha'' (Paracel), ''Nansha'' (Spratly and [[James Shoal]]) and ''Zhongsha'' ({{lang|zh|中沙}}, ''Zhōngshā''; [[Macclesfield Bank]], [[Scarborough Shoal]], and others) groups.

==Resources==
There are [[mineral]]s, [[natural gas]] and [[petroleum|oil]] deposits on the islands and under their nearby seafloor, also an abundance of [[marine life|sea life]], such as fish, animals and vegetation, traditionally exploited as food by all the claimant nations for thousands of years—mostly without disputes that could risk war. In the 20th century, since the WW2 settlements failed to resolve ownership of such lesser areas of land, seas and islands—and because of the [[economic]], [[military]], and [[transport]]ational importance—their control, especially that of the Spratlys, has been in dispute between China and several [[Southeast Asia]]n countries, such as Vietnam, from the mid-20th century onwards. True occupation and control are shared between the claimants (see [[#Claims and control|claims and control]] below).

== Claims and control ==
{{Main|Territorial disputes in the South China Sea|Spratly Islands dispute}}

[[File:Bia VNCH Truong Sa - Republic of Vietnam Spratly Islands Territorial Marker.JPG|220px|thumbnail|right| A monument of South Vietnam on [[Southwest Cay]], Spratly Islands, claiming the cay as part of Vietnamese territory (to [[Phước Tuy Province]]). Used since 22 August 1956 until 1975, when replaced by another one from the [[Socialist Republic of Vietnam]] (previously North Vietnam, later as the successor state after the [[Fall of Saigon]]).]]

[[File:1947 Nanhai Zhudao.png|thumb|right|220px|Map of South China Sea Islands, made by Territory Department of [[Ministry of the Interior (Taiwan)|Ministry of the Interior]], Republic of China in 1947, after its sovereignty transfer from the Japanese occupation.]]

The [[Republic of China (1912–1949)|Republic of China]] (ROC) named 132 of the South China Sea Islands in 1932 and 1935. In 1933, the Chinese government lodged an official protest to the French government after its occupation of [[Taiping Island]].<ref>[http://www.hawaii.edu/cseas/pubs/explore/todd.html Todd C. Kelly] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090228071356/http://www.hawaii.edu/cseas/pubs/explore/todd.html |date=28 February 2009 }}</ref> In 1947, the Ministry of Interior of China renamed 149 of the islands. Later, in November 1947, the Secretaritat of Guangdong Government of China was authorised to publish the ''Map of the South China Sea Islands''.

The [[Japan]]ese and the [[France|French]] renounced their claims as soon as their respective occupations or colonization had ended.

In 1958, the [[China|People's Republic of China]] (PRC) issued a declaration defining its territorial waters within what is known as the [[nine-dash line]] which encompassed the [[Spratly Islands]]. North Vietnam's prime minister, [[Phạm Văn Đồng]], sent a diplomatic note to [[Zhou Enlai]], stating that "The Government of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam respects this decision." The diplomatic note was written on 14 September and was publicised in ''Nhan Dan'' newspaper (Vietnam) on 22 September 1958. Regarding this letter, there have been many arguments on its true meaning and the reason why [[Phạm Văn Đồng]] decided to send it to [[Zhou Enlai]]. In an interview with BBC Vietnam, Dr. Balázs Szalontai provided the following analysis of this issue:

{{Blockquote|The general context of the Chinese declaration was the United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea, held in 1956, and the resulting treaties signed in 1958, such as the Convention on the Territorial Sea and Contiguous Zone. Understandably, the PRC government, though not being a member of the U.N., also wanted to have a say in how these issues were dealt with. Hence the Chinese declaration of September 1958. In these years, as I said before, North Vietnam could hardly afford to alienate China. The [[Soviet Union]] did not give any substantial support to Vietnamese reunification, and neither South Vietnamese leader [[Ngo Dinh Diem]] nor the U.S. government showed readiness to give consent to the holding of all-Vietnamese elections as stipulated by the Geneva Agreements. On the contrary, Diem did his best to suppress the Communist movement in the South. This is why Phạm Văn Đồng felt it necessary to take sides with China, whose tough attitude toward the Asian policies of the U.S. offered some hope. And yet he seems to have been cautious enough to make a statement that supported only the principle that China was entitled for 12-mile territorial seas along its territory but evaded the issue of defining this territory. While the preceding Chinese statement was very specific, enumerating all the islands (including the Paracels and the Spratlys) for which the PRC laid claim, the DRV statement did not say a word about the concrete territories to which this rule was applicable. Still, it is true that in this bilateral territorial dispute between Chinese and Vietnamese interests, the DRV standpoint, more in a diplomatic than a legal sense, was incomparably closer to that of China than to that of South Vietnam.<ref>BBC Vietnam, Về lá thư của Phạm Văn Đồng năm 1958, January 24, 2008. The English text of the interview is downloadable at https://www.academia.edu/6174115/Interview_North_Vietnam_and_Chinas_Maritime_Territorial_Claims_1958.</ref>{{Citation needed|reason=Dead link|date=May 2018}}|sign=|source=}}

It was also argued that, Phạm Văn Đồng who represented North Vietnam at that time had no legal right to comment on a territorial part which belonged to the South Vietnam represented by [[Ngo Dinh Diem]]. Therefore, the letter has no legal value and is considered as a diplomatic document to show the support of the government of North Vietnam to the PRC at that time.<ref name=TND20140602>{{cite web|url=http://www.thanhniennews.com/politics/late-vietnam-pms-letter-gives-no-legal-basis-to-chinas-island-claim-26821.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140606144150/http://thanhniennews.com/politics/late-vietnam-pms-letter-gives-no-legal-basis-to-chinas-island-claim-26821.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=6 June 2014|title=Late Vietnam PM's letter gives no legal basis to China's island claim|author=Thao Vi|date=2 June 2014|publisher=Thanh Nien News}}</ref> In China, in 1959, the islands were put under an administrative office (办事处/''banshichu''). In 1988, the office was switched to the administration of the newly founded [[Hainan Province]].{{citation needed|date=May 2013}} The PRC strongly asserted its claims to the islands, but in the late 1990s, under the [[new security concept]], the PRC put its claims less strongly.{{citation needed|date=May 2013}}  According to the [[Kyodo News]], in March 2010 PRC officials told US officials that they consider the South China Sea a "core interest" on par with Taiwan, [[Tibet]], and [[Xinjiang]].<ref>[https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-07-23/u-s-says-settling-south-china-sea-disputes-leading-diplomatic-priority-.html Clinton Signals U.S. Role in China Territorial Disputes After Asean Talks] ''[[Bloomberg L.P.|Bloomberg]]'' 2010—07-23</ref> In July 2010, the Communist Party-controlled [[Global Times]] stated that "China will never waive its right to protect its core interest with military means"<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/27/world/asia/27china.html|title=China Warns U.S. to Stay Out of Islands Dispute|date=26 July 2010|newspaper=The New York Times}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/opinion/2010/07/29/commentary/a-clash-of-interests-in-asia/|title=A clash of interests in Asia|date=28 July 2020|newspaper=The Japan Times}}</ref> and a Ministry of Defense spokesman said that "China has indisputable sovereignty of the South Sea and China has sufficient historical and legal backing" to underpin its claims.<ref>[https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-07-30/china-has-indisputable-sovereignty-in-south-china-sea-defense-aide-says.html China Says Its South Sea Claims Are `Indisputable'] ''[[Bloomberg L.P.|Bloomberg]]'' 29 July 2010</ref> China added a tenth-dash line to the east of Taiwan island in 2013 as a part of its official sovereignty claim to the [[Territorial disputes in the South China Sea|disputed territories in the South China Sea]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/documents/organization/234936.pdf|title=Limits in the Seas|publisher=Office of Ocean and Polar Affairs, U.S. Department of State}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thanhniennews.com/commentaries/new-tendashed-line-map-revealed-chinas-ambition-28816.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140722174226/http://www.thanhniennews.com/commentaries/new-tendashed-line-map-revealed-chinas-ambition-28816.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=22 July 2014|title=New ten-dashed line map revealed China's ambition|date=19 July 2014}}</ref>

In addition to the People's Republic of China and Vietnam, the [[Taiwan|Republic of China]] (i.e. Taiwan), [[Malaysia]], [[Brunei]], and the [[Philippines]] also claim and occupy some islands. Taiwan claims all the Spratly Islands, but occupies only one island and one shelf, including [[Taiping Island]]. Malaysia occupies three islands on its continental shelf. The Philippines claim most of the Spratlys and calls them the Kalayaan Group of islands, and they form a distinct municipality in the province of [[Palawan]]. The Philippines, however, occupy only eight islands. Brunei claims a relatively small area, including islands on Louisa Reef.<ref>[http://sunzi.lib.hku.hk/hkuto/record/B31951296 Regional strategic considerations in the Spratly Islands dispute<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>

[[Indonesia]]'s claims are not on any island, but on maritime rights. (See [[South China Sea]])

In July 2016, in [[Philippines v. China]], the [[Permanent Court of Arbitration]] ruled in favor of the Philippines. It clarified that it would not "...rule on any question of sovereignty over land territory and would not delimit any maritime boundary between the Parties".<ref name=":1">{{cite web|url=https://pca-cpa.org/en/news/pca-press-release-the-south-china-sea-arbitration-the-republic-of-the-philippines-v-the-peoples-republic-of-china/|title=PCA Press Release: The South China Sea Arbitration (The Republic of the Philippines v. The People's Republic of China) {{!}} PCA-CPA|website=pca-cpa.org|access-date=12 July 2016}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/13/world/asia/south-china-sea-hague-ruling-philippines.html|title=Tribunal Rejects Beijing's Claims in South China Sea|last=Perlez|first=Jane|date=12 July 2016|newspaper=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|access-date=12 July 2016}}</ref> The tribunal also ruled that China has "no historical rights" based on the "nine-dash line" map.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" /> China has rejected the ruling, as has [[Taiwan]].<ref name="Phillips">{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jul/12/philippines-wins-south-china-sea-case-against-china|title=Beijing rejects tribunal's ruling in South China Sea case|author1=Phillips, Tom|author2=Holmes, Oliver|author3=Bowcott, Owen|work=The Guardian|date=12 July 2016|access-date=26 July 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.theonlinecitizen.com/2016/07/taiwan-rejects-ruling-on-south-china-sea-with-taiping-island-defined-as-rocks/|title=Taiwan rejects ruling on South China Sea with Taiping Island defined as 'rocks'|last=Zannia|first=Neyla|date=14 July 2016|publisher=The Online Citizen|access-date=26 July 2016}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Ecology|Islands}}
* [[Great Wall of Sand]]
* [[List of islands in the South China Sea]]
* [[List of islands of the Philippines]]
* [[List of islands of Taiwan]]
* [[List of islands of Vietnam]]
* [[List of maritime features in the Spratly Islands]]

== References ==
=== Citations ===
{{Reflist}}

=== Sources ===
{{Refbegin}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20130616125220/http://community.middlebury.edu/~scs/docs/Li%20and%20Li-The%20Dotted%20Line%20on%20the%20Map.pdf The Dotted Line on the Chinese Map of the South China Sea: A Note]
* {{cite web|url=http://travelvietnam.officeisp.net/Shared%20Documents/Countries%20-%20Vietnam/VietnamForeignMinistry81.pdf|title=Vietnamese claims|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303204507/https://travelvietnam.officeisp.net/Shared%20Documents/Countries%20-%20Vietnam/VietnamForeignMinistry81.pdf|archive-date=3 March 2016}}&nbsp;{{small|(1.70&nbsp;MB)}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20090406003428/http://www.fmprc.gov.cn/chn/ziliao/wzzt/2305/default.htm The South China Sea Issue] {{in lang|zh}}
* [http://www.irasec.com/ouvrage34, Geopolitics of Scarborough Schoal]
* [http://sowf.moi.gov.tw/stat/year/y05-19.xls Chinese islands names defined by the Republic of China (Taiwan)]
{{Refend}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category|Islands of the South China Sea}}
* {{WWF ecoregion|name=South China Sea Islands|id=im0148}}

{{Southeast Asia}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Islands of the South China Sea| ]]
[[Category:Ecoregions of Asia]]
[[Category:Ecoregions of China]]
[[Category:Ecoregions of Malaysia]]
[[Category:Ecoregions of the Philippines]]
[[Category:Ecoregions of Taiwan]]
[[Category:Ecoregions of Vietnam]]
[[Category:Indomalayan ecoregions]]
[[Category:Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests]]
[[Category:Disputed islands of Asia]]
[[Category:Disputed territories in Asia]]
[[Category:Islands of Southeast Asia]]
[[Category:Maritime Southeast Asia]]