copenlu/druid huggingface dataset:
Claim: Spratly Islands is a territory of Republic of China (Spratly Islands, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2016-07-13): 33. In August 1951, Foreign Minister Zhou Enlai, in his Statement on the United States-British Draft Peace Treaty with Japan and the San Francisco Conference, pointed out that "as a matter of fact, just like all the Nan Sha Islands, Chung Sha Islands and Tung Sha Islands, Si Sha Islands (the Paracel Islands) and Nan Wei Island (Spratly Island) have always been China’s territory, occupied by Japan for some time during the war of aggression waged by Japanese imperialism, they were all taken over by the then Chinese Government, following Japan’s surrender", "Whether or not the United States-British Draft Treaty contains provisions on this subject and no matter how these provisions are worded, the inviolable sovereignty of the People’s Republic of China over Nan Wei Island (Spratly Island) and Si Sha Islands (the Paracel Islands) will not be in any way affected." [...] 52. It was reported by AFP that, on 4 February 1974, the then Indonesian Foreign Minister Adam Malik stated that, "si nous regardons les cartes actuelles, elles montrent que les deux archipels des Paracels [Xisha Qundao] et des Spratleys [Nansha Qundao] appartiennent à la Chine", and that because we recognize the existence of only one China, "cela signifie que, pour nous, ces archipels appartiennent à la République populaire de Chine".
Claim: Spratly Islands is a territory of Republic of China (Spratly Islands, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-10-09): During World War II, ROC leader Chiang Kai-shek meets with U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill in Cairo. After the conclusion of the conference, the Cairo Declaration is released, stating that "…Formosa [Taiwan], and the Pescadores [the Penghu Islands], shall be restored to the Republic of China…" [...] Following the 1951 San Francisco Peace Treaty with Japan signed by 48 Allied nations on behalf of the United Nations, the Treaty of Peace is signed between the ROC and Japan at Taipei Guest House, formally ending the state of war between the two parties. It is recognized that under Article 2 of the San Francisco Treaty, Japan has renounced all right, title, and claim to Taiwan (Formosa) and Penghu (the Pescadores) as well as the Spratly Islands and the Paracel Islands. All treaties, conventions and agreements concluded before Dec. 9, 1941, between China and Japan become null and void as a consequence of the war. [...] The ROC inks the Cross-Straits Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA) with China to institutionalize economic and trade relations across the Taiwan Strait.
Claim: Spratly Islands is a territory of Republic of China (Spratly Islands, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2022-09-08): The Republic of China (ROC) proclaims that the Nansha Islands (Spratly Islands, 南沙群島), Xisha Islands (Paracel Islands, 西沙群島), Zhongsha Islands (Macclesfield Bank, 中沙群島), and Dongsha Islands, as well as their surrounding waters, are an "inherent part of ROC territory and waters." The ROC argues that its rights over these territories are based on history, geography, and international law. Its historical claims in the South China Sea date back to 1947, when Chiang Kai-shek (蔣中正) drew a U-shaped, "eleven-dash line" (十一段線) on a map around the territory in the South China Sea that he claimed as encompassing ROC territory. After coming to power in 1949, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) changed the "eleven-dash line" to a "nine-dash line" (九段線), though neither concepts are considered legal terminology. Therein lies Taiwan’s dilemma: changing the ROC’s historical claims would indicate—especially to Beijing—that the island democracy was abandoning its historical political identity and moving towards an inherently Taiwanese national identity, or even independence.
Claim: Spratly Islands is a territory of Republic of China (Spratly Islands, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-09-17): China’s sweeping claims of sovereignty over the sea—and the sea’s estimated 11 billion barrels of untapped oil and 190 trillion cubic feet of natural gas—have antagonized competing claimants Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam. As early as the 1970s, countries began to claim islands and various zones in the South China Sea, such as the Spratly Islands, which possess rich natural resources and fishing areas. The failure of Chinese and Southeast Asian leaders to resolve the disputes diplomatically could undermine international laws governing maritime disputes and encourage destabilizing arms buildups. [...] Upon assuming office in June 2022, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. rejected the conciliatory stance toward China adopted by his predecessor, Rodrigo Duterte. The Philippines’ most contentious disputes with China center on the Second Thomas Shoal of the Spratly Islands, which lies within the Philippines’ 200-mile EEZ. In 1999, the Philippines intentionally grounded a ship to reinforce its territorial claims to the area which it calls the West Philippine Sea. Since then, the Philippine Coast Guard has conducted monthly resupply missions to its military contingent on the ship, known as the BRP Sierra Madre. Chinese Coast Guard vessels began to employ dangerous tactics to harass Philippine resupply missions in 2023, leading to heightened clashes. Collisions have become increasingly common, and the Chinese Coast Guard has used a military-grade laser and repeatedly fired water cannons against Philippine ships. On June 17, a Chinese vessel and a Philippine supply ship collided near the Second Thomas Shoal; both sides blamed the other for the incident.
Claim: Spratly Islands is a territory of Republic of China (Spratly Islands, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2020-07-15): Backgrounder by Lindsay Maizland January 31, 2022 - [...] Interactive by Olivia Angelino, Thomas J. Bollyky, Elle Ruggiero and Isabella Turilli February 1, 2023 Global Health Program - [...] Webinar with Carolyn Kissane and Irina A. Faskianos April 12, 2023 -
Claim: Spratly Islands is a territory of Republic of China (Spratly Islands, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2020-12-01): The PRC cannot lawfully assert a maritime claim â including any Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) claims derived from Scarborough Reef and the Spratly Islands â vis-a-vis the Philippines in areas that the Tribunal found to be in the Philippinesâ EEZ or on its continental shelf. Beijingâs harassment of Philippine fisheries and offshore energy development within those areas is unlawful, as are any unilateral PRC actions to exploit those resources. In line with the Tribunalâs legally binding decision, the PRC has no lawful territorial or maritime claim to Mischief Reef or Second Thomas Shoal, both of which fall fully under the Philippinesâ sovereign rights and jurisdiction, nor does Beijing have any territorial or maritime claims generated from these features. [...] The PRC has no lawful territorial or maritime claim to (or derived from) James Shoal, an entirely submerged feature only 50 nautical miles from Malaysia and some 1,000 nautical miles from Chinaâs coast. James Shoal is often cited in PRC propaganda as the âsouthernmost territory of China.â International law is clear: An underwater feature likeÂ James Shoal cannot be claimed by any state and is incapable of generating maritime zones. James Shoal (roughly 20 meters below the surface) is not and never was PRC territory, nor can Beijing assert any lawful maritime rights from it.
Claim: Spratly Islands is a territory of Republic of China (Spratly Islands, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2016-06-01): See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spratly_Islands_dispute for a statement of the dispute involving the Spratlys and the claims of different States involved and for a description of the Spratly islands and associated "maritime features" (reefs, banks, cays, etc.) located in the South China Sea. Only China (PRC), Taiwan (ROC), and Vietnam have made claims based on historical sovereignty of the islands. The Philippines, however, claims part of the area as its territory under the UNCLOS. For summary of the territorial claims of countries involved see www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/war/spratly-claims.htm. See also for a list of islands in the Spratly group and various incidents or claims or assertion of authority and control, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_maritime_features_in_the_Spratly_Islands.
Claim: Spratly Islands is a territory of Vietnam (Spratly Islands, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-10-08): The Spratly Islands (Filipino: Kapuluan ng Kalayaan;[1] Mandarin Chinese: 南沙群島/南沙群岛; pinyin: Nánshā Qúndǎo; Malay: Kepulauan Spratly; Vietnamese: Quần đảo Trường Sa) are a disputed archipelago in the South China Sea. Composed of islands, islets, cays,[2] and more than 100 reefs, sometimes grouped in submerged old atolls,[3] the archipelago lies off the coasts of the Philippines, Malaysia, and southern Vietnam. Named after the 19th-century British whaling captain Richard Spratly who sighted Spratly Island in 1843, the islands contain less than 2 km2 (490 acres) of naturally occurring land area, which is spread over an area of more than 425,000 km2 (164,000 sq mi). [...] In 1958, China issued a declaration defining its territorial waters that encompassed the Spratly Islands. North Vietnam's prime minister, Phạm Văn Đồng, sent a formal note to Zhou Enlai, stating that the Government of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV) respected the Chinese decision regarding the 12 nmi (22 km; 14 mi) limit of territorial waters.[92] While accepting the 12-nmi principal with respect to territorial waters, the letter did not actually address the issue of defining actual territorial boundaries. North Vietnam recognised China's claims on the Paracels and Spratly Islands during the Vietnam War as it was being supported by China. Only after winning the war and conquering South Vietnam did North Vietnam retract its recognition and admitted it recognised them as part of China to receive aid from China in fighting the Americans.[93][94]
Claim: Spratly Islands is a territory of Vietnam (Spratly Islands, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-09-10): Spratly Island, (Vietnamese: Đảo Trường Sa or Đảo Trường Sa Lớn, lit. 'the Big Spratly (Trường Sa) Island'; simplified Chinese: 南威岛; traditional Chinese: 南威島; pinyin: Nánwēi Dǎo; Filipino: Pulo ng Lagos, lit. 'Lagos Island'), also known as Storm Island, is the fourth largest of the naturally occurring[1] Spratly Islands in the South China Sea with an area of 15 hectares (37 acres),[2] and the largest of the Vietnamese-administered Spratly islands.[3][4] [...] Administration [edit]Under the South Vietnamese regime, Spratly Island was placed under the administration of Khánh Hòa province. In 2007, the Vietnamese government upgraded the island's status to a commune-level town which is in charge of administering all nearby Vietnamese-controlled features such as Amboyna Cay and Barque Canada Reef.[16] On the island lies Trường Sa District's administrative center.
Claim: Spratly Islands is a territory of Vietnam (Spratly Islands, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2018-03-22): Hanoi has made no bones about its sense of unease regarding Beijing’s growing material might and in parallel, its increasing assertiveness. This is evident with China’s continued militarization of its artificial islands in the South China Sea at the same time it is putting up "smile diplomacy" outreach to ASEAN and calling for cooperation, including an agreement to begin formal negotiations on the proposed Code of Conduct. Vietnam’s concerns about the future of the disputes were further heightened after the ruling Chinese Communist Party proposed sweeping reforms to the Chinese Constitution, including the removal of clauses mandating that the president would serve no more than two terms in office – thus creating the prospect of Xi Jinping holding onto power for perpetuity. [...] It is most likely that Vietnam would receive support from multiple major powers in times of a war with China over the South China Sea flashpoint, but not direct military intervention, especially if Beijing elects to keep the clashes localized and well contained to avoid provoking an overwhelming international response. As such, Hanoi could expect those friendly extraregional powers to cheer for it, or at best offer diplomatic condemnation against Beijing, and possibly some form of materiel and technical aid for its fighting efforts. But not more than that.
Claim: Spratly Islands is a territory of Vietnam (Spratly Islands, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2019-07-04): As part of the larger South China Sea dispute, the long-standing Spratly Islands dispute is an ongoing territorial dispute regarding ocean areas and the Spratly Islands and the Paracel Islands to the north – two island chains claimed in whole or in part by a number of countries. The Spratly Islands consist of hundreds of islands and reefs. The 750 spits of lands that make up the Spratly Islands are small and largely uninhabited. However it is their strategic location in the middle of several major trade routes, being the home to fishing grounds which supply people across the region, as well as the possibility of their containing natural resources which have made the islands an extremely valuable commodity. It is worth noting that there has been little detailed exploration of the area, so estimates are largely extrapolated from the mineral wealth of neighbouring areas. [...] China’s claims on the Spratlys and the Paracel islands are based more on historic settlement rather than geographical proximity. Recently China has raised the stakes by seeking to change the geography with significant man-made islands and infrastructure. It is claimed that by May 2015 the Chinese had added 2,000 acres to their outposts in the previous 18 months. The rate of increase of these new islands is causing anxiety for neighbouring nations.
Claim: Spratly Islands is a territory of Vietnam (Spratly Islands, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2021-01-01): The Spratly Islands consist of more than 100 small islands or reefs surrounded by rich fishing grounds - and potentially by gas and oil deposits. They are claimed in their entirety by China, Taiwan, and Vietnam, while portions are claimed by Malaysia and the Philippines. About 45 islands are occupied by relatively small numbers of military forces from China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam. Since 1985 Brunei has claimed a continental shelf that overlaps a southern reef but has not made any formal claim to the reef. Brunei claims an exclusive economic zone over this area. [...] Spratly Islands consist of more than 100 small islands or reefs of which about 45 are claimed and occupied by China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam [...] Disputes - international all of the Spratly Islands are claimed by China (including Taiwan) and Vietnam; parts of them are claimed by Brunei, Malaysia and the Philippines; despite no public territorial claim to Louisa Reef, Brunei implicitly lays claim by including it within the natural prolongation of its continental shelf and basis for a seabed median with Vietnam; claimants in November 2002 signed the "Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea," which has eased tensions but falls short of a legally binding "code of conduct"; in March 2005, the national oil companies of China, the Philippines, and Vietnam signed a joint accord to conduct marine seismic activities in the Spratly Islands
Claim: Spratly Islands is a territory of Vietnam (Spratly Islands, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2023-08-15): The Spratlys are a group of geographic features including reefs, shoals and rocks located near the Philippines, Brunei and Malaysia — and several hundred miles from China’s shores. The area is claimed by the PRC, Taiwan (as the Republic of China), Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei. Of these, the PRC’s claims are the most expansive. The PRC has long claimed control (without specifically using the term "sovereignty") over territory within the so-called "nine-dash line," a region which encompasses much of the South China Sea, including the Spratlys. However, the PRC hasn’t quite specified whether it claims only the land features, or the waters as well. [...] China is not the first or only country to militarize in the Spratlys (Vietnam was the first to build an airstrip in the area in 1976). It’s the scale and undeterred expansion of China’s military presence in the region that warrants international attention.
Claim: Spratly Islands is a territory of Vietnam (Spratly Islands, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2021-08-05): The Philippines’ territorial claim to the Spratlys is limited only to the Kalayaan Island Group (KIG), as formalized in Presidential Decree No. 1596 and clarified in Republic Act No. 9522. China’s and Vietnam’s territorial claims cover the entire Spratlys. Malaysia’s territorial claim is limited to a few high tide-features off the coast of Borneo, while Brunei’s territorial claim is solely to Louisa Reef off the coast of Brunei. [...] Article continues after this advertisementThird, these two House bills claim Jubilee Bank, Ladd Reef, and Coronation Bank, submerged features within the extended continental shelf of either Vietnam, Malaysia, or Brunei but definitely outside the extended continental shelf or exclusive economic zone of the Philippines. These submerged features cannot be claimed by the Philippines under Unclos. Moreover, these two House bills claim as Philippine territory Spratly Island, a high-tide feature occupied by Vietnam. Spratly Island is outside the polygonal lines of PD 1596 and was thus never claimed before by the Philippines as its territory. These new claims of the Philippines will again only exacerbate the Spratlys dispute.
Claim: Spratly Islands is a territory of Vietnam (Spratly Islands, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-09-12): The Philippines has invoked its mutual defense treaty with the US to obtain US assistance in repelling Chinese forces from islands claimed by the Philippines. Signed in 1951, the treaty stipulates the two countries to defend each other in case of an attack from an external party. However, US does not include the Spratly Islands in its understanding of Philippine territory. Instead, the US limited itself in continuously supporting the Philippine defense programs with military and intelligence aid and training, and a variety of diplomatic measures aimed at sending a "strong message" to Beijing.[76] Such "strong messages" and the ASEAN intervention are believed to have calmed China's previously aggressive drive in the Spratly region. [...] - ^ a b "Territorial claims in the Spratly and Paracel Islands". Retrieved February 8, 2008.
Claim: Spratly Islands is a territory of Vietnam (Spratly Islands, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-10-08): The Spratly Islands dispute is an ongoing territorial dispute among Brunei, China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam concerning "ownership" of the Spratly Islands, a group of islands and associated "maritime features" (reefs, banks, and cays etc.) located in the South China Sea. The dispute is characterized by diplomatic stalemate and the employment of military pressure techniques (such as military occupation of disputed territory) in the advancement of national territorial claims. All except Brunei occupy some of the maritime features. [...] Vietnam claims that it has occupied the Spratly and the Paracel islands at least since the 17th century, when they were not under the sovereignty of any state, and that they exercised sovereignty over the two archipelagos continuously and peacefully until they were invaded by Chinese armed forces.[49] In Phủ biên tạp lục (撫邊雜錄, Miscellaneous Records of Pacification in the Border Area) by the scholar Lê Quý Đôn, Hoàng Sa (Paracel Islands), and Trường Sa (Spratly Islands) were defined as belonging to Quảng Ngãi District. In Đại Nam nhất thống toàn đồ (大南ー統全圖), an atlas of Vietnam completed in 1838, Trường Sa was shown as Vietnamese territory.[50] Vietnam had conducted many geographical and resource surveys of the islands.[50] The results of these surveys have been recorded in Vietnamese literature and history published since the 17th century. After the treaty signed with the Nguyễn dynasty, France represented Vietnam in international affairs and exercised sovereignty over the islands.[50]
Claim: Spratly Islands is a territory of Vietnam (Spratly Islands, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2022-01-01): The Spratly Islands consist of more than 100 small islands or reefs surrounded by rich fishing grounds -- and potentially by gas and oil deposits. China, Taiwan, and Vietnam all claim the islands in their entirety, while portions are claimed by Malaysia and the Philippines. Around 70 disputed islets and reefs in the Spratly Islands are occupied by China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam. Since 1985, Brunei has claimed a continental shelf that overlaps a southern reef but has not made any formal claim to the reef. Brunei claims an exclusive economic zone over this area. [...] Vietnam: occupies about 50 outposts, plus some 14 platforms known as "economic, scientific, and technological service stations" (Dịch vụ-Khoa) that sit on underwater banks to the southeast that Vietnam does not consider part of the disputed island chain, although China and Taiwan disagree; Spratly Islands outposts are on Alison Reef, Amboyna Cay, Barque Canada Reef, Central Reef, Collins Reef, Cornwallis South Reef, Discovery Great Reef, East Reef, Grierson Reef, Ladd Reef, Landsdowne Reef, Namyit Island, Pearson Reef, Petley Reef, Sand Cay, Sin Cowe Island, South Reef, Southwest Cay, Spratly Island, Tennent Reef, West Reef; the underwater banks with stations include Vanguard, Rifleman, Prince of Wales, Prince Consort, Grainger, and Alexandra; in recent years, Vietnam has continued to make improvements to its outposts, including defensive positions and infrastructure (2024)
Claim: Spratly Islands is a territory of Vietnam (Spratly Islands, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2023-07-07): Countries have wrangled over territory in the South China Sea for centuries, but tension has grown in recent years. [...] Vietnam hotly disputes China's historical account, saying China had never claimed sovereignty over the islands before the 1940s. Vietnam says it has actively ruled over both the Paracels and the Spratlys since the 17th Century - and has the documents to prove it. [...] Malaysia and Brunei also lay claim to territory in the South China Sea that they say falls within their economic exclusion zones, as defined by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, or UNCLOS.
Claim: Spratly Islands is a territory of Vietnam (Spratly Islands, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2020-07-19): The Spratly Islands dispute can be looked at from a variety of angles. The Spratly Islands are a smattering of more than 100 islets, shoals, reefs and sandbanks midway between Vietnam and the Philippines. The Spratlys links the Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean. They were named for a 19th Century British whaling captain. Many of the Spratly are little more than rocks which barely peep above the surface of the sea. In terms of national security, these islands are important due to their location in the South China Sea, where many merchant ships pass through to deliver goods, people, and energy products to Asian-Pacific countries. By controlling these islands, the country in question would be able to ensure the safe passage of their goods. [...] During the independence from France, Vietnam was invaded by China, which led to the loss of effective administration on the archipelago. Between 1973 and 1975, Vietnam occupied thirteen islands of Spratly Islands and in 1989, it occupied three more. Since then, Vietnam has taken more features of the Spratly Islands under occupation. They deployed troops on several of those islands and incorporated those areas into Vietnam in official maps as Vietnamese territory.