Paracel Islands, also known as the Xisha Islands, are a group of low-lying coral islands and reefs in the South China Sea. The Paracels lie about 175 miles (280 kilometers) southeast of China’s Hainan Island and about 190 miles (300 kilometers) from the coast of Vietnam.
Ownership of the Paracel Islands is disputed. The islands lie along major shipping lanes and have rich fishing waters. In addition, many experts believe that deposits of oil and natural gas may lie under the seabed beneath the islands. Today, China administers the Paracels as part of Hainan Province. However, Taiwan and Vietnam also claim ownership of the islands.
Vietnam claims that it established control over the Paracel Islands from the 1600’s to the 1800’s. In the 1930’s, the Paracels came under French rule as part of the colony of French Indochina. During World War II (1939-1945), Japanese troops occupied the islands. In the 1950’s, China occupied the eastern Paracels, and the Republic of Vietnam (also known as South Vietnam) took control of the western islands. In 1974, Chinese forces seized control of the whole island group.
During the 1990’s, China expanded its oil- and gas-drilling operations in the South China Sea, and tensions over the ownership of the Paracels increased. In 2012, the Chinese government established the city of Sansha on an island in the Paracels to oversee Chinese interests in the region. That year, China also created a military outpost in the Paracels. Nations with competing ownership claims accused China of intimidation.
