Kolotov Vladimir

East-Asian Arc of Instability and geopolitical dimension of territorial dispute in South China Sea

ЮГО-ВОСТОЧНАЯ АЗИЯ: АКТУАЛЬНЫЕ ПРОБЛЕМЫ РАЗВИТИЯ, 2013, №21, 23-35

 
Annotation: There exists a variety of opinions on the time of the outbreak of conflict over the islands in the South China Sea. Some trace it back to all but hoary antiquity, others to the second half of the 19 th century, and still others to the first half of the 20 th century. For a long time the opposition of the conflicting sides here manifested itself only on geographic maps, in statements by politicians and the opinions of historians. The first real collision occurred in 1959 when the PRC, that by that time had occupied a portion of the Paracel Islands, attempted to establish control over the entire Paracels and gain a foothold on the western group of the islands called Croissant.

Keywords: SOUTHEAST ASIA, SOUTH CHINA SEA, VIETNAM, CHINA, USA