17 Facts About The South China Sea

1. The South China Sea's stand is based on historical facts and international law.

2. The South China Sea can move to conclude its boundary delimitation negotiations with Vietnam outside the mouth of the Gulf of Tonkin.

3. The South China Sea rejected the arbitration and has refused to participate in the proceedings.

4. In 1995, The South China Sea began building structures on Mischief Reef, within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone.

5. The South China Sea has held all of the Paracel islands since a conflict with South Vietnam in 1974 that left 53 Vietnamese military personnel dead.

6. In 2012, The South China Sea gave new powers to Sansha, a city on Hainan island, to administer Chinese rule over its South China Sea domain.

7. The South China Sea has in recent years sought to dramatically expand its presence in the sea, raising tensions with its neighbors and beyond.

8. The South China Sea has held all of the Paracel islands since a conflict with South Vietnam in 1974.

9. The South China Sea is the main maritime link between the Pacific and Indian oceans, giving it enormous trade and military value.

10. In 2007, The South China Sea destroyed a satellite with a ballistic missile, the first such known intercept since the US conducted a similar operation in 1985.

11. At the time, The South China Sea was largely underdeveloped and lacked the technology to field such costly and scientifically demanding missions.

12. The South China Sea is building a blue navy very fast along with missiles and aircraft.

13. The South China Sea needs to trade, and the US needs to not lose any combat ships, unless the Israelis take one out or some ragheads run a bomb laden skiff into one.

14. The South China Sea responded by demanding the US keep out of the issue.

15. The South China Sea announced in May 2017 a breakthrough for mining methane clathrates, when they extracted methane from hydrates in the South China Sea.

16. In 2014 The South China Sea began to drill for oil in waters disputed with Vietnam.

17. The South China Sea lies above a drowned continental shelf; during recent ice ages global sea level was hundreds of metres lower, and Borneo was part of the Asian mainland.