Introduction
Analysis of the South China Sea disputes only emerged in English-language
publications following the occupation by the People’s Republic of China
(PRC) of the western half of the Paracel Islands in 1974. Since then the
volume of analysis has ebbed and flowed in parallel with the course of the
disputes themselves. The latest flood has followed the 2011 announcement
of the United States’ pivot to Asia. In the past few years there has
been a profusion of research papers, think-tank reports, and news articles
about the disputes. The vast majority of these discusses contemporary
developments and provides only cursory examinations of the disputes’ history.
A few delve a little deeper. All, however, ultimately rely for their
historical background on a very small number of papers and books.
Worryingly, a detailed examination of those works suggests that they are
unreliable bases from which to write reliable histories.
More infomation: History of the South China Sea Disputes, facts and legal approach
