The Spratly Islands Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Spratly Islands - turn up ExampleSome of the island claims overlap and nominate led to international tensions over the right to claim some(prenominal) of the worlds largest oil reserves and expand their territorial fishing rights. Powerful nations in the firmament that declare a growing need for energy pose a serious threat for future disputes, but new-made agreements have eased the tensions to a degree and offer some hope of a model of scotch cooperation. .Claims to the islands in the archipelago largely rest on the claimants ability to establish a historical record of organism there first, their geographical proximity, or a record of diplomatic agreements. China, Japan, France, and Vietnam all made claims to, and inhabited, the islands sporadically in the beginning and during the first half of the 20th century. Chinas claim to the islands go throughs back 2nd century BC Han dynasty, and in 1933 the Chinese made a formal public declaration of claim to the islands and sta ted that the islands are inhabited nevertheless by Chinese fishermen, and are internationally recognized as Chinese territories.1 The Japanese used the Spratly Islands as a staging point for their assault on the Philippines during World contend II, but the action move little attention from the British who considered the islands terra nullius, a non-legally binding concept that argues uninhabited islands are open to settlement.2 Vietnams claims date back to the 17th century and are bolstered by an 1884 treaty that claims the French administered the islands while they were a associated state of France.3 Vietnam has modernly contended that they have continuously occupied the islands since the 1600s and have exercised effectively, continuously and peacefully its sovereignty over the Spratly islands as well as the neighbouring Paracel Islands.4 Historians have largely disputed the legitimacy of the claims made by Vietnam and since World War II the islands have become the centre of a n international debate involving China, Taiwan, Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam, and the Philippines.Since World War II the Spratly Islands have gained significant strategic importance for their location amid a rapidly developing area, as well as for the economic value of their natural resources. Ownership of the islands gives the owner internationally recognized fishing rights in an area that is rich in fish and seafood. The discovery of some of the richest gas and oilfields in the world has sparked an intense tilt for ownership. The islands lie in the middle of several nations that have a growing need for oil that is in the main currently imported from the Middle East and Africa. In addition, the islands lie in the middle of the shipping lanes that entangle the Strait of Malacca, which serves the expanding Asia-Pacific economic region, and is the second busiest sea-lane in the world5. It is estimated that over half the worlds supertanker traffic and half of the worlds merchant elaps e (by tonnage) sails through the South China Sea every year.6 This gives the owners of the islands geo-political strength as well as control of the resources in the area surrounding the islands. The islands strategic location and the ability to disrupt trade have given the Spratly Islands an increased military importance in light of the worlds growing need for oil.The most recent decades have seen open hostilities as nations have worked to build a spirit of