Mischief Reef

Mischief Reef
Disputed island
Other names:
Meiji Reef
Panganiban reef
Đá Vành Khăn
Mischief Reef in 2001, before Chinese land reclamation
Geography
Location of Mischief Reef
Location South China Sea
Coordinates 9°55′N 115°32′E / 9.917°N 115.533°E / 9.917; 115.533Coordinates: 9°55′N 115°32′E / 9.917°N 115.533°E / 9.917; 115.533
Archipelago Spratly Islands
Administered by
People's Republic of China
Claimed by
People's Republic of China
Philippines
Republic of China (Taiwan)
Vietnam

Mischief Reef (Chinese: 美济礁; pinyin: Meiji Jiao; literally: "Meiji Reef"; Tagalog: Panganiban reef[1]; Vietnamese: Đá Vành Khăn) is a large reef in the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, located 250 kilometers west of Palawan Island of Philippines.[2]

Mischief reef is occupied and controlled by the People's Republic of China, and claimed by the Republic of China (Taiwan), the Philippines and Vietnam.

The area surrounding it is said[3] to be rich in yet unexplored oil and gas fields.[4]

History and topography

One source says that Mischief reef was discovered by Henry Spratly in 1791 and was named after the German sailor Heribert Mischief, one of his crew.[5] It has rocks above water at low tide and a lagoon.[6]

Location and Description

Mischief reef is located at 9° 55' N, 115° 32' E.[7] It lies 50 nautical miles east of Union banks.[8]

Territorial disputes

In 1994 and 1995,[9] China built initial structures on stilts in the area. The Philippine government protested these actions. However, the Chinese government rejected the protest and said that the structures were shelter for fishermen. In 1999, another wave of protests from Manila occurred when China added more structures to Mischief Reef.[10]

China was also reported to have planted buoys in nearby Sabina Shoal. Philippines claimed that China had a well-rehearsed routine when laying claim to a new reef: first put down buoys, then build concrete markers. Temporary wooden or bamboo shelters followed, and then permanent structures went up. The Philippines therefore would try to destroy the buoys or markers before China has time to build larger structures.[10] The Philippines' decision not to destroy the Chinese structures on Mischief Reef has prevented an escalation of the dispute. The Philippines claims that China has always been prepared for armed conflict when challenged, as is evident in China's defense of reefs from Vietnam in the 1988 Johnson South Reef Skirmish which resulted in more than 70 Vietnamese deaths.[10]

On 11 July 2012, the Chinese Type 053 frigate Dongguan ran aground on the reef, sparking embarrassment for the Chinese government and causing an awkward diplomatic situation. The ship was later towed back to base.[11]

In 2015, land reclamation started inside the rims.[12] By January 2016, work was well advanced on developing a military base with a large harbour and a 2.6 km runway, with an area of 5.58 square kilometres (2.15 sq mi).[13]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "The battle for Mischief Reef". Warfighter strategic studies. Retrieved 27 November 2013.
  2. ↑ "Map of Mischief reef". Wikimapia. Retrieved 17 March 2014.
  3. ↑ Raman, B (1999). Chinese Territorial Assertions: The Case of the Mischief Reef. Chennai, India: Institute For Topical Studies.
  4. ↑ Meyer, Lt Col. Stanley E (1996). Incident at Mischief reef : Implications for The Philippines, China and The United States. Pennsylvania, USA: US Army war college, Carlisle barracks.
  5. ↑ "Spratly Islands Conflicting Claims". GlobalSecurity.org. Retrieved 24 August 2013.
  6. ↑ Cire Sarr (19 August 2001). "Digital Gazetteer of Spratly Islands". www.southchinasea.org. Retrieved 7 October 2014.
  7. ↑ Hancox, David; Prescott, Victor (1995). A Geographical Description of the Spratly Islands and an Account of Hydrographic Surveys amongst Those Islands. Maritime Briefings 1. University of Durham, International Boundaries Research Unit. p. 28. ISBN 978-1897643181.
  8. ↑ Campbell, Eric (20 May 2014). "Reef madness". Foreign Correspondent. ABC News. Retrieved 22 May 2014.
  9. ↑ Ian Storey, Herbert Yee (2004). The China threat : Perceptions and myths. Routledge. ISBN 0415347106.
  10. 1 2 3 McCarthy, Terry (8 March 1999). "Reef Wars". Time Asia (Puerto Princessa, Palawan) 153 (9). Retrieved 22 March 2008.
  11. ↑ Tania Branigan. "Chinese frigate runs aground in disputed part of South China Sea". the Guardian.
  12. ↑ DAVID E. SANGER and RICK GLADSTONE. "Piling Sand in a Disputed Sea, China Literally Gains Ground" The New York Times, 8 April 2015.
  13. ↑ "Airstrips near Completion". Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative. January 2016. Retrieved 2016-01-30.

Further reading

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Sunday, March 06, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.