Spratly Island Dispute

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SPRATLY ISLANDS DISPUTE The Spratly Islands of the South China Sea are potential sources of different natural resources. It is important for a number of reasons: the Spratly area holds significant reserves of oil and natural gas, it is a productive area for world fishing and commercial shipping, and coastal countries would get an extended continental shelf. For this reason, various countries are claiming it. These countries are the People's Republic of China, the Republic, Taiwan, Malaysia, Philippines, Vietnam, and Brunei. Each of these countries occupies some of the islands except Brunei. There are multiple reasons why almost every nation near this group of islands is interested in claiming it as their territory because of the vast natural resources and its strategic location. It has been believed that these islands could be holding locked in its sea-bed one of the largest deposits of oil in the world. It has also been believed that the islands have the most strategic place for commercial fishing and shipping. It has been one of the world’s most productive places. Until now, still the question of who really has the right to own the islands exists. The most active claimants of the place are the Republic of China and the Philippines. China’s claim was merely based on historical background, on belief that they were the one who first discovered the islands for two thousand years now. Their claim was based on the philosophy that since they were the first one who was present or discovered the island, they rightly have sovereignty over the island. However, there are still doubts if they are really the first, who discovered the islands. At the same time, the Philippines also persists its right over the island. The Philippines claim that the islands belong to the Philippines on the basis that: (1) the area is part of the continental margin of the Philippine
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