Spratly Islands

Disputed group of small islands, coral reefs, and sandbars dispersed over a distance of 965 km/600 mi in the South China Sea. The islands are of strategic importance, commanding the sea passage from Japan to Singapore, and in 1976 oil was discovered.

Used as a submarine base by the Japanese during World War II, the islands are claimed in whole or part by the People's Republic of China, Taiwan, Malaysia, Brunei, the Philippines (which calls the islands Kalayaan), and Vietnam (which calls them Truong Sa). Vietnam reasserted its claim to the islands January 1995. One month later the Philippines accused China, who had recently occupied one of the atolls, of having violated a 1992 declaration under which claimants were to refrain from establishing presences on the islands. The Philippines and China agreed August 1995 to assess ways of jointly developing the island chain.