Basically, China and Taiwan are completely aligned in their claims, China contests the Paracels with Vietnam (this claim is the most valid imo through effective occupation or conquest, take your pick), the Spratlys are contested by literally everyone, and Scarborough Shoal with the Philippines (by conquest). I’m sure I missed something, but at a high level those are the three big disputes.
China’s primary justification is that these islands were historically Chinese (and, y’know, the Europeans just left chaos in their wake when the pulled out and Japan left even more chaos in its wake when it swept through Asia like a cancerous wildfire, and when it came time for peace talks the West decided not to invite China because “what China should we invite? Ah fuck it invite neither of them”).
The islands are unpopulated and basically useless except to extend EEZ to the newly discovered oil reserves in the region.
The ROC also has naval bases in the SCS. It’s not like how they still formally claim Mongolia, a claim which no one, including themselves, takes seriously.
Basically, China and Taiwan are completely aligned in their claims, China contests the Paracels with Vietnam (this claim is the most valid imo through effective occupation or conquest, take your pick), the Spratlys are contested by literally everyone, and Scarborough Shoal with the Philippines (by conquest). I’m sure I missed something, but at a high level those are the three big disputes.
China’s primary justification is that these islands were historically Chinese (and, y’know, the Europeans just left chaos in their wake when the pulled out and Japan left even more chaos in its wake when it swept through Asia like a cancerous wildfire, and when it came time for peace talks the West decided not to invite China because “what China should we invite? Ah fuck it invite neither of them”).
The islands are unpopulated and basically useless except to extend EEZ to the newly discovered oil reserves in the region.
The ROC also has naval bases in the SCS. It’s not like how they still formally claim Mongolia, a claim which no one, including themselves, takes seriously.
Yeah, that’s a good point as well.
A lot of countries have bases in the SCS. If you tried to draw a straight line cleanly dividing them, you’d fail.