Table 7. Recent Military Clashes in the South China Sea
| Date | Countries | Military Action |
| 1974 | China, S. Vietnam | Chinese seize Paracel Islands from S. Vietnamese forces |
| 1988 | China, Vietnam | Chinese and Vietnamese navies clash in the central Spratly Islands. Several Vietnamese boats are sunk and over 70 sailors killed. |
| 1992 | China, Vietnam | Vietnam accuses China of drilling for oil in Vietnamese waters in the Gulf of Tonkin, and accuses China of landing troops on Da Luc Reef. China seizes almost 20 Vietnamese cargo ships transporting goods from Hong Kong from June – September. |
| 1994 | China, Vietnam | China and Vietnam have naval confrontations within territorial waters claimed by Vietnam over oil exploration blocks 133, 134, and 135. Chinese claim area as part of their Wan’ Bei-21 (WAB-21) block. |
| 1995 | China, Philippines | China occupies Vietnamese and Philippine-claimed Mischief Reef. Philippine military attempts to evict the Chinese and destroy Chinese markers. Chinese workers soon return to construct piers and barracks. |
| 1995 | Taiwan, Vietnam | Taiwanese artillery fire on Vietnamese supply ship. |
| 1996 | China, Philippines | In January, three alleged Chinese vessels engage in a 90-minute gun battle with a Philippine navy gunboat near Campones Island. |
| 1997 | China, Philippines | The Philippine navy orders a Chinese speedboat and two fishing boats to leave Scarborough Shoal in April; Philippine fishermen remove Chinese markers and raise their flag. China sends three warships to survey Philippine-occupied Panata and Kota Islands |
| 1998 | China, Philippines | In January, the Philippine navy arrests Chinese fishermen off Scarborough Shoal. |
| 1998 | Philippines, Vietnam | In January, Vietnamese soldiers fire on a Philippine fishing boat near Tennent (Pigeon) Reef. |
Source: “South China Sea Region,” United States Energy Information Administration, Country Analysis Briefs, August 1998 and Greg Austin, China’s Ocean Frontier: International Law, Military Force, and National Development, Allen & Unwin, 1998
URL http://www.middlebury.edu/SouthChinaSea Copyright ©1999 by David Rosenberg.
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