Clashes over Sovereignty Claims on the Nansha Islands

Disputes between China and Vietnam are intensifying over sovereignty claims on the Nansha Islands. Tensions escalated as both countries, which once engaged in armed clashes in March 1998, simultaneously stepped up their efforts to lay claims to the islands. In Vietnam, people continue to stage protests against China and declare anti-Chinese statements.

This time, Vietnam triggered the clashes first. It announced its plan to explore oil fields off the Spratlys (another name for Nansha, which is also known as Hoang Sa in Vietnam) and joined hands with BP, a British energy giant, to set up supply pipes for natural gas. Vietnam has also decided to hold elections to choose members of its parliament representing 24 out of the total 48 islets, which it occupies.

In response to Vietnam’s move to make Nansha its territory, China immediately launched a counter-offensive. Last month, China newly established the county-level city of Sansha, which is part of Hainan province and encompasses all the islands on the waters spanning 2.6 million square kilometers including Xisha, Nansha, and Zhongsha archipelagos.

Against this bold attempt of China, some 200 Vietnamese held a protest in front of the Chinese embassy in Hanoi on December 9. Another protest involving 400 or so citizens took place on Sunday. In Sunday’s demonstration, people staged protests not only at the Chinese embassy but also in front of the Chinese consulate in Ho Chi Minh City, showing signs of anti-Chinese sentiment further spreading. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang criticized the protests, saying, “Staging protests rather than resolving the disputes peacefully will undermine the bilateral relationship,” and urged the Vietnamese government to take measures to prevent the reoccurrence of those protests.

The land mass of the three archipelagos including Nansha, which are at the heart of the disputes, is 13 square kilometers, accounting for only 1.35 percent of China’s total land area of 9.6 million square kilometers. But the area of the related sea is a whopping 2.6 million square kilometers, representing 55.3 percent of the 4.7 million square kilometers that includes China’s territorial waters and lakes.

The Nansha archipelago, which straddles between the Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean, has a vital strategic importance and is assumed to harbor 30 billion tons of oil. It is also renowned for plentiful marine resources and as a destination for travelers. Among the 48 islets, 24 are occupied by Vietnam, 10 by China, seven by the Philippines, six by Malaysia, and one by Taiwan.

The sovereignty dispute over the Nansha Islands began in the 1960s when the possibility of oil and natural gas existing there was raised. Military clashes took place in 1998, but there have been none since 2002 when the related nations reached an agreement aimed at preventing disputes. China and Vietnam are also engaging in territorial disputes over the Xisha Islands while China and the Philippines are engaged over the Zhongsha Islands.

orionha@donga.com