For decades, Beijing has been arguing with several countries of the Asia-Pacific region over the territorial ownership of a number of islands in the South China Sea, on the shelf of which significant hydrocarbon reserves were discovered. We are talking primarily about the Sisha archipelago (Paraselsky
Islands), the Nansha (Spratly) and Huangyan (Scarborough Reef) islands. Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia and the Philippines are involved in this debate to one degree or another. The United States is not a party to the dispute, but it does not recognize the claims of China and insists on its right to “free shipping” in the region.