Original sentence: Despite persistent diplomatic brinkmanship, the situation remained unchanged for another two decades.In January, 1974, naval vessels were dispatched to protect the surveying project, and China responded in kind.In an effort to strengthen its position, South Vietnam announced plans to build an airbase on the islands, one that could support the crucial C-7 Caribou transport planes.The tiny, uninhabited Paracel Islands, called Hoàng Sa in Vietnamese and Xīshā in Chinese, lie in the South China Sea roughly 200 miles from the nearest Asian mainland shore.This arrangement was immediately contested by the fledgling People's Republic of China, which had not been party to the accord, and which voiced a longstanding Chinese claim to the islands.With no native population, the archipelago's ownership has been in dispute frequently throughout history
Edited sentence: China sent troops to the area in a small-scale invasion that was quickly routed by the South Vietnamese.In January, 1974, naval vessels were dispatched to protect the construction, and China responded in kind.In an effort to strengthen its presence, South Vietnam decided to build a larger airbase on the islands, one that could support the crucial C-7 Caribou airplanes.The tiny, uninhabited Paracel Islands, called Hoàng Sa in Vietnamese and Xīshā in Chinese, were historically considered part of ancient Vietnam.This arrangement was immediately contested by the fledgling People's Republic of China, which had not been party to the accord, and which voiced a Chinese claim to the islands stretching back at least to the 19th century.Undeterred, China always maintained its claim of sovereignty over the islands