China recorded the South China Sea Islands in the Han Dynasty. Historical materials of the Yuan Dynasty put "a thousand miles of Changsha" (now Nansha Islands) under the jurisdiction of Hainan Island. Zheng He's voyage to the West in Ming Dynasty passed through Xisha and Nansha, leaving a nautical chart of the South China Sea.
In modern times, the most important basis for China's sovereignty in the South China Sea is the traditional territorial line, that is, the "nine-dash line". After War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression's victory, the China government took over the South China Sea Islands. 1946, the Kuomintang authorities felt that the map of the South China Sea was chaotic and began the demarcation of the South China Sea. At that time, a warship responsible for demarcation was named "Yongxing"-Yongxing Island, the largest island in the Xisha Islands, was named after it.
1947, the then "Ministry of the Interior" completed the demarcation of the South China Sea, that is, the "Nine-Segment Line". The Zengmu shoal from the southernmost point of this line to 4° N laid the basic trend of the South China Sea boundary in China today. Huangyan Island is also within the territorial waters of China.
According to experts, another proof that Huangyan Island is China's inherent territory is that when the Spanish-American War ended in 1898, it was demarcated by 1 18 north latitude, and the Philippine territorial waters were in the north; However, the location of Huangyan Island is about 1 17 48', which is also outside the territory of the Philippines.
At present, the relevant laws of the Philippines have included some places more than 200 nautical miles from the coast into its territory, which is not in line with the basic principles of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
"In the quarter century after the demarcation of 1947, the neighboring countries did not raise any objections. This has produced historic sovereignty in the sense of international law. " Zhang Zhirong, an associate professor at Peking University Institute of International Relations, said, "The South China Sea dispute originated from the discovery of offshore oil and gas resources in China in the late 1960s and early 1970s."