Vietnam Has Actually Been The Biggest Aggressor In The South China Sea

Greg Austin, The Diplomat: Who Is the Biggest Aggressor in the South China Sea?

In the past 20 years, Vietnam has doubled its holdings in the South China Sea.

In 1996, Vietnam occupied 24 features in the Spratly Islands (source). At that time, according to the same source, China occupied nine. By 2015, according to the United States government, Vietnam occupied 48 features, and China occupied eight.

On May 13, U.S. Assistant Secretary of Defense, David Shear, said this to the Senate Foreign relations Committee: “Vietnam has 48 outposts; the Philippines, 8; China, 8; Malaysia, 5, and Taiwan, 1.”

In the past 20 years, according to the United States, China has not physically occupied additional features. By contrast, Vietnam has doubled its holdings, and much of that activity has occurred recently. The Vietnamese occupations appear to have increased from 30 to 48 in the last six years.

WNU Editor: I give the Vietnamese credit for one thing .... they are very good at stoking tensions .... South China Sea dispute: Vietnam launches special Spratly 'sovereignty' cruise (Sydney Morning Herald).