Advertisement
South China Sea: key moments in a decades-long dispute
- Beijing set out its expansive claim more than 70 years ago with a few lines on a map
- Washington has confronted the assertions head on, saying they are unlawful
Reading Time:3 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
Washington has shifted tack and directly rejected Beijing’s claims to most of the South China Sea, adding to strategic tensions between the major powers.
On Monday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Beijing’s assertions that it had sovereignty over most of the resource-rich waters were “completely unlawful”, as was its “campaign of bullying” against other claimants to control the waters.
China says it has rights to over 80 per cent of the area, which Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, and Taiwan also claim.
Advertisement
China hit back, saying the US – which is not a claimant – was trying to “sow discord between China and other littoral countries”.
Here are the key moments in the dispute:
Advertisement
1947: The Kuomintang government of China draws up a map with 11 lines claiming most of the South China Sea, including the Spratly and Paracel islands. After the Communists take over in 1949, the newly founded People’s Republic of China revises the claim to a “nine-dash line”, still covering most of the waters.
Advertisement
Select Voice
Choose your listening speed
Get through articles 2x faster
1.25x
250 WPM
Slow
Average
Fast
1.25x