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France, Germany, and the United Kingdom issue a joint "note verbale" to the United Nations rejecting China's claims to the South China Sea, and supporting the ruling in "Philippines v. China" that said the historic rights per the nine-dash line ran counter to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. However the statement says that on "territorial sovereignty" they "take no position".
2020-09-17

The Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs rejects an earlier statement by Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Geng Shuang that China had territorial claims to the Spratly Islands as part of the Nine-Dash Line, stating it "[has] no legal basis and have never been recognized by the UNCLOS 1982". Indonesia had recalled its ambassador to China two days earlier after a Chinese coastguard vessel trespassed in its waters.
2020-01-1

China's People's Liberation Army Air Force says it has conducted "combat patrols" near the disputed Spratly Islands and Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea as part of an effort to normalize such drills and respond to security threats. Xian H-6 strategic bombers and Su-30 fighter jets took part in the patrols, according to Xinhua News Agency.
2016-08-6

Admiral John Richardson says the United States has seen Chinese activity around Scarborough Shoal, which China seized from the Philippines nearly four years ago, in the northern part of the Spratly archipelago of the South China Sea. An international court ruling on a case brought by the Philippines against China over its South China Sea claims is expected within a month.
2016-03-17

A U.S. B-52 long-range bomber on a routine mission over the South China Sea mistakenly flew within two nautical miles of an artificial island built by China near the Cuarteron Reef in the disputed Spratly Islands archipelago, according to a senior U.S. defense official. The Chinese Defense Ministry issues a statement accusing the U.S. of deliberately raising tensions in the disputed region.
2015-12-18

The United States agrees with Singapore on a first deployment of the U.S. P8 Poseidon surveillance aircraft in Singapore this month, in a fresh response to China over its pursuit of territorial claims in the South China Sea.
2015-12-8

U.S. officials say the U.S. Navy deliberately avoided military drills or other actions that could have further inflamed tensions with Beijing during the USS Lassen's patrol in the South China Sea last week. For instance, the Lassen turned off its fire-control radars while transiting within 12 nautical miles of Subi Reef. On its part, the Chinese destroyer following the Lassen was, "very cordial the entire time … before and after the Spratly Islands transit," said the Lassen's commanding officer, Commander Robert Francis.
2015-11-6

A United States Navy ship, the USS "Lassen", sails near the Spratly Islands, challenging Beijing's claim that the islands are Chinese territory. China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly condemned the actions of the United States in the South China Sea, saying “China will firmly react to this deliberate provocation".
2015-10-27

China completes the construction of two lighthouses on the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea according to Chinese state media. The U.S. and the Philippines have opposed the construction efforts.
2015-10-10

Taiwan plans to expand a pier on one of the disputed Spratly Islands, parts of which are also claimed by Vietnam, Brunei, China, Malaysia and the Philippines, as the other claimants strengthen military deployment in the South China Sea.
2013-04-7