There are tiny little rocks in the South China sea that have become a pretty big deal. China has claimed them as its own, putting air bases, missile batteries, and harbors on the islands to stake its claim. It’s become a huge, but quiet, international struggle. Why are they suddenly so important, and what is the historical context behind it all? In this two-part episode, we let you in on it.
Spratly Islands Map
Harbors Being Built on Spratlys
Taiwanese Hotel Construction on Spratlys
Chinese Deep-Defense Strategy Against Japanese Invasion in WWII
Farthest Extent of Chinese Borders and Chinese Claims
Sources
- Taylor Fravel, Strong Borders Secure Nation
- Carrier locations
- Taiwan pushing claims too http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/taiwan-takes-media-tour-south-china-sea-island-37859101
- Beijing’s Power and China’s Borders – Twenty Neighbors in Asia. Edited by Elleman, Kotkin, Schofield
- “On China” – Kissinger
- http://www.ancient.eu/china/
- Vietnam’s quickly growing Navy: http://thediplomat.com/2016/03/vietnams-quest-for-a-greenwater-navy/
- http://thediplomat.com/2016/03/deterring-china-us-army-to-stockpile-equipment-in-cambodia-and-vietnam/
- http://thediplomat.com/2015/08/china-tests-new-missile-capable-of-hitting-entire-united-states/
- China’s propoganda take on Woody Island: http://thediplomat.com/2016/02/5-myths-about-chinas-missile-deployment-on-woody-island/
- Part 1: http://thediplomat.com/2016/03/south-china-sea-and-freedom-of-navigation/
- Part 2: http://thediplomat.com/2016/03/testing-the-chinese-myth-about-freedom-of-navigation/
- http://policy.defense.gov/Portals/11/Documents/gsa/cwmd/DoD%20FON%20Program%20–%20Fact%20Sheet%20(March%202015).pdf
- http://thediplomat.com/2016/03/china-eu-relations-crisis-and-opportunity/
Video and speech links:
- Lee Kuan Yew: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nM1f6xNfwZw
- O’Reilly & Trump: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASoeNe3-HqA
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