| Summary/Abstract |
The expansive South China Sea covering an area of more than 3.5 million square kilometres consists of atolls, reefs, and small islands, only one of which has fresh water to support human habitation, has drawn considerable strategic and media attention in recent times. The Spratlys and the Paracels in particular are two of such islands, which China calls Nansha and Xisha islands, have shot into lime light in recent years and has all the potential to trigger a conflict, which can destabilise the region primarily for the geo-strategic reasons. China occupied the Paracels in 1974 from South Vietnam.
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