ASEAN
Summary of Interests The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has called for a peaceful resolution of the territorial disputes in the South China Sea through direct negotiations among claimant parties and adherence to international
Profiles
MAP’s Country Profiles section provides each claimant’s summary of claims, historical/legal basis of claims, political statements regarding claims, actions to bolster claims, and resources/assets related to claims. Currently, MAP maintains profiles for nine countries with claims in the South China Sea and/or East China Sea. A special profile for Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which has called for a peaceful resolution of the territorial disputes in the South China Sea.
Brunei
Summary of Claims Brunei, located in Southeast Asia on the north-western coast of the island of Borneo, claims a 200-nautical mile (nm) exclusive economic zone (EEZ) that overlaps with China’s nine-dash line, as well as
China
East China Sea Summary of Claims China maintains that the Diaoyu Islands (or Diaoyudao) have been a part of its sovereign territory since the Ming Dynasty in the sixteenth century. The territory is controlled and
Indonesia
Resources/Assets Related to Claims The waters of the Natuna region are extremely rich in fish-stocks and the Indonesian Natuna Islands administration claims that the regional fisheries sector could produce 1.24 million tons of fish per
Japan
Summary of Claims Japan claims sovereignty over the Senkaku Islands, which are disputed by China and Taiwan (which refer to the islands as the Diaoyu and Diaoyutai, respectively). Japan administers the island group as part
Malaysia
Summary of Claims Malaysia claims ten maritime features in the southern region of the Spratly Islands but may have dropped its claim to an eleventh feature, Louisa Reef. Of the ten features to which it
Philippines
Summary of Claims The Philippines claims the northeastern section of the Spratly Islands as the Kalayaan Island Group, in addition to the Scarborough Shoal, which it calls the Bajo de Masinloc. Malaysia claims part of
Republic of Korea
Summary of Claims The Republic of Korea (ROK) has unresolved disputes over maritime boundary delimitation with the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) in the Yellow Sea (West Sea in Korea); China in the Yellow
Taiwan
Summary of Claims The Republic of China (ROC), or Taiwan, claims sovereignty over the Diaoyutai Islands—known as the Diaoyu Islands in the People’s Republic of China and the Senkaku Islands in Japan—as the legitimate government
Vietnam
Summary of Claims Vietnam claims the Paracel Islands (known as Hoang Sa in Vietnamese), which are also claimed by both China and Taiwan (and are known as the Xisha in Chinese), while China exercises control