This is the most controversial place in the world. Few people know about it, but at least seven countries (and some are willing to participate in the discussion) are competing for sovereignty. Islands, islands, reefs, reefs, atolls, hundreds of sandbars, and even artificial islands.It is rarely inhabited, causing tremendous tension in the South China Sea.Diplomatic chess is played in the Spratly Islands, which for the time being is too complicated and does not seem to end.Occupation, official claims, resurrection, community establishment, The deployment of troops, the sinking of ships, and even the construction of missile bases are some of the tactics that the state uses to adequately. well known It's not a place, but there is a huge potential conflict.
The archipelago is one of the few places on the planet where there is no clear attribution to nationality and everyone feels authorized to claim their dominance. Over the past few decades, the parties have supported all kinds of precedents and arguments to justify their claims: from the occupation of the empire to the nationality of the people living there, to the extension of the era of peaceful occupation.
They are lost islands in the middle of the ocean, with a small population, little architecture, difficult for people to conquer and difficult to access. They have very few territories. The archipelago covers an area of about 410,000 square kilometers, but only 5 square kilometers of them are land. Due to their location, many people have paid attention to them. Most of the world's commercial traffic passes through the regions.In recent years, interest has grown almost exponentially. It is not a matter of national pride that has been injured, nor is it a new geopolitical concern. It just happened that greed has arisen. It is believed that the archipelago could be a large reserve of oil and gas and various valuable minerals that go beyond its fishing capacity. Some of these hydrocarbon reserves assume that hydrocarbons are huge. Others say that it is not worth it, and extraction in these conditions is almost impossible.
The governments of the relevant countries prefer to take risks and not claim their possessions.
The Philippines, Malaysia, the Sultanate of Brunei, Vietnam, China, and Taiwan are countries that dispute the archipelago. Some claim for themselves the entire surface, each island, every atoll, every small island, while others, more modest, require only recognition of sovereignty over some islands.
Everything has been discussed so much that we do not agree on how to name the place.Each country has its own language and unique name. In the West, it is known as the Spratly Islands. The Spratly Islands are the castles of British sailors who made them known in this part of the world. But it was 1843, and it lasted well until the middle of the 20th century, and those small and deserted islands were not of interest to anyone.If someone had told them that several countries would claim for themselves, he would have been taken as a madman. The colonial forces never cared about them.France planted a flag with little commitment to the colonies of Indochina in the 1930s Japan evicted them at the beginning of World War II. The Gallic flight from Vietnam and the defeat of Japan led them to And since the Americans left the Philippines and the United Kingdom left Malaysia, there are no candidates among the powers to take over. The territory had no one to dominate, which made it attractive to neighboring Asian countries who could claim their rights through proximity.
The history of these islands is told by Olivier Marchon in his book Geographic Oddities (Godot Edities) in a magnificent way, just like many other islands. “If you look at the current map of the archipelago with each possession, it looks like a board in a huge strategy game where each player places his pieces and each stone, even the smallest, every beach, even the smallest, will be square.” A huge but very real TEG. The most powerful army gains more and more positions through force and coercion through armament and maritime movement. China does not attack Kamchatka, but attacks Vietnam, the Philippines and other related countries.
China built a fortress with a large attack capability on a very small reef.Cannons, anti-aircraft batteries, bunkers and radars.A few years ago he also built a missile launch station. This episode was criticized by the US media and was confirmed by the Chinese authorities without being blushed. Airlines patrolled the area, and in the 1980s they sank ships from other countries, referring to chaos and hostile behavior. Due to the dominance of China in the region, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam demanded support from the United States.
However, this is not the only case. Other countries also have armed forces, and each country has built a runway on one of the islands.For example, Taiwan extended 1.2 km from Taiping Island, which is 1.4 km long. That is, everything else on the island is a track, except for 200 meters.
The UN declared the archipelago a hot zone. The expectation, assertion, pressure of the state, events that no one gives up, the increase in cases and the gradual militarization have made it a place where the risk of war is released at any time. In addition, there are too many countries with overlapping falsehoods for everyone to be satisfied with diplomatic negotiations.
If China uses its economic power and war power to win, then others appeal to different weapons (or tricks). The most imaginative episode should undoubtedly be attributed to the Vietnamese. Zona Caliente has nothing to do with the events in which the fate of Fugard was decided. In difficult times, the Red Army seizes every opportunity. It has already been said that not much happens in Spratly. In 1975, helpless Filipino special people who do not wait for anything on Pugaard Island I felt emotions.They were worried about the day I waited. I promised it would be the party of the year.On neighboring Parola Island, they opened a new bar. There were games, pool tables, alcohol, and women. Almost everyone from Pugat went there that evening. They would have a party of the year and celebrate the birthday of the head of the base. The people of Parola were surprised by their hospitality. Everything was better than expected.A woman who fell in love with various delicacies, free drinks, and fascinating gifts.The Filipinos were delighted. By midnight, the birthday had already turned into an orgy. It was a really nice night, but the next morning was very hard. It's not just because of headaches and dryness. South Vietnam was not only a special host. They also took advantage of the fact that everyone in Pugad went on their birthday to invade and capture the island.Now the island belonged to South Vietnam and still does. The Filipinos were shipped to their country. How the authorities of the country received them They should have been publicly humiliated, but some of the Filipino soldiers were too late that night After many delays and deprivations, I thought it was a sweet defeat because I had a good time.
The issue of sovereignty is very complex and in demand. Brunei claimed part of the China Sea and took over some of the reefs without making an official announcement. The Sultanate arrived at the scene for the last time and tried to take advantage of the chaos. China, Taiwan, and Vietnam have claimed the entire archipelago for themselves. The last two built a base, picked up civilians, and built a small fortress to protect the land and sea that surrounds them. Vietnam is the country with the largest number of islands and terrain under the flag. China has a thousand-year history, talks about centuries-old jobs and calls for others to leave their place.In the meantime, he threatens to get out of them.
Spratly is essential for China. The exclusive economic zone of the country is incredibly extensive. This archipelago is a fundamental part of the plan for local governance. It is one of the vertices of the nine-point line that surrounds the intended exclusion area.
On Spratly Island, a confrontation similar to the Cold War took place: preventive armament, some demands on international forums, jobs with fire and a lot of tension in scenarios where no one wanted to twist their arms. Everyone talks about sovereignty, but what they don't want to lose is the potential wealth that places hide. It is very difficult and tedious to live in the least amount of land and sand that is currently lost in the sea. However, many people are convinced that fate can be made there.
As if all of this were not enough, there was no shortage of bandits or dreamers riding micronation on one of the islands.The states emerged from a somewhat arbitrary and somewhat uncertain will from the private will they boldly create in the face of legislative loopholes or realistic opportunities. But Spratly is not a territory to play. The first person who created a kingdom there and was nominated as all the brilliant monarchs of the place ran the kingdom as soon as the Japanese invasion came and never returned. Others who wanted to settle down were short-lived due to the high probability of burning in the area.
International legal instruments to resolve this dispute are not too long ago. The 1982 United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Sea creates a paradox that, instead of providing a solution, makes national positions increasingly uncompromising, this is because each country interprets its norms according to their convenience, squeezes and extends the provisions of the treaty, saying what is favorable to them according to their interpretation.
With a lack of habitable land, increasing armies, spreading weapons and the possibility of exploitation of hydrocarbons with transcendental geopolitical positions, the Spratly Islands are a little-known area of the map and a source of tension that is becoming increasingly sensitive to the world.It is also a great generator of the story.
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