As a Filipino, we are willing to share the spratlys to everyone who has a claim on it except China.

I have actually recently been wondering what was happening in that conflict right now, because I had looked into it a few years back. It's sad but also unsurprising to hear that nothing really has changed and the situation only keeps getting tenser.

You forgot to mention that Filipino fishermen already fish at Scarborough Shoal during the Spanish colonial period. The Murillo Velarde map of 1734 documents this with the name Panatag Shoal, which is what Filipinos call Scarborough at the time.

I'm a Filipino so I hear about the news regularly. While I hate what's going on, my sad hope is that it just goes on forever. At least never escalate

These are The new balkans, to partially use a quote from Bismarck, „some damn foolish thing in the South China Sea will set of a war“ Edit: wow, this really blow up in Popularity

Tom Clancy wrote a book about a conflict between China and the US stemming from competition over the Spratlys over 20 years ago. It's crazy to see what I hoped would be a work of fiction, slowly being made real.

You just need 1 loony leader in one of those countries for this to turn into a beach episode of ukraine

Everyone gangster until Mongolia reclaims their old lines on the map...

As a Malaysian I'm so happy you're doing this topic

Glad to know we’re destroying coral reefs so we can…overfish?

The next global season of Jetleg is gonna be super hard with Sam banned from all these countries

Fun fact. With a Western Imperialist perspective, the *French* were the first to lay a sovereign claim to anything in the South China Sea. And they did so in 1933, where French Captain Georges Meesemaecker and his small flotilla would lay French Empirical claim to nine small rocks, all done with trumpets, a flag, and a letter in a bottle outlining the claim. The UK can't do this, despite the fact that they were there 99 years earlier and named the Spratly Islands. They saw, they named, but they never claimed:)

The Philippines and Vietnam in fact signed a strategic agreement at Hanoi in January 2024 on security cooperation and to take a common position regarding the South China Sea. These two countries are the main opponents against China's ambition in the SCS region.

There was no year 0. The Gregorian Calendar goes from 1BC->1AD.

lets see how Sam brings planes into this video. wait wrong channel

The thing is that even if it is the same body of water referred to in those ancient texts, it genuinely does not matter. That's not how we settle claims because every place on the planet has about a dozen people who could make such a claim about it. Or does China think that Mongolia should be allowed to take over most of its territory?

Just another problem that an epic game of Paper, Rock, Scissors could solve.

Surprisly, I saw no mentions or references to PAG-ASA ISLAND in this video. Implying that the only stake of the Philippines in the area is just a grounded landing vessel. Maybe I just missed it.

China: "Why do people hate us?" also China: "All your islands are ours!"

I'm surprised that Great Britain isn't partly responsible for this

The amount of coral reef destroyed is astounding

Here's one cool detail, the name of the historical document China referenced for its claim - Yiwu Zhi 異物誌 literally means "archive of the strange and foreign things" as in things that are strange and foreign to China. So that means the reefs are .... get this... not Chinese.😂

Indonesia also has started to get pulled in this mess due to the fact that despite the Natuna Islands being universally recognized as Indonesian territory & far from the ultra-disputed coral islands, China (and technically also Taiwan's)South China Sea lines touched and even overlapped Indonesia's (again universally recognized) EEZ at their farthest reaches, which caused tensions between Indonesia and Chinese coast guards.

The whole video is great, but the best part is the amazing visual of the nation's maps projected on top of their land. Amazing work as always.

China's historical claim to the south china sea is the same level of ridiculous as Italy claiming sovereignty over Egypt because it used to be part of Rome, or the UK claiming to control the US because they sent the original colonists there, or Taiwan claiming to be the sole ruler of mainland China because they used to govern it, or Norway claiming Canada because the Vikings stopped by there for a bit once upon a time. "Our sailors once passed by here 2000 years ago" is not a basis for a claim. It wasn't even a basis for a claim 2000 years ago. A claim to a place requires a permanent physical presence. A claim can also be usurped by another by physically kicking the first out. Essentially, the king of the hill is the one standing on it. The record of who used to stand on it means nothing. It's brutal playground bullshit, but that's the reality of international sovereignty, it only exists as far as you're willing to push the other guy off your hill. China's real best claim to the islands there is that they have set up permanent bases there and nobody has kicked them out yet.

The fact that everyone in that region fears what China is doing and might do with the South China Sea tells you a lot about China's claims & actions. Taiwan & Japan have arguments over islands & waters but they don't fear the other side will launch some sort of war over it. But CHINA....they are showing intent to actually use force to take it all. And their claims are massive areas. Sure Taiwan, also has similar claims but it's mostly just to keep the Chinese claims and prevent China from just easiliy taking all the waters & islands.

Bolivia should have them

It’s like claiming land according to the bible😂

As a vietnamese , we claim this island is our but everyone does so basiclly it like some sort of international water which no one want to militarize ,fishmen from all around come and sometime got caught by some others navy , but when china come and massively build naval base and naval partice , that enrage us

IMHO South China Sea is the pre-WWI Balkans of this century...

I appreciate the use of motion blur in the graphics... which as simply stellar. I appreciate the time and effort that goes into these videos.

Front Mission 3 introduced me to the crazy politics of this region.

Last week was boeing and Now the hottest geopolitical drama...Protect this man at all costs. Can't believe all this drama is essentially over Fish.

4:40 Did you just say coral? 6-2-1, you have have a new job...

Indonesia also have a territory in Natuna Island which is also claimed by China, so technically there are 7 countries involved in this dispute Edit: guys stop fighting in the replies lol.

geopolitics is a hell of a confusing drug

China in 50 years when the spratly islands have disappeared due to sea levels risisng: 😡😡😡

Is it ever pragmatic to worry? I'd have thought it's pragmatic to *address* that worry -- making that last line doubly unfortunate for its location in the video. Reminds me a little bit of the first CONNECTIONS series by James Burke, a sweeping history-of-science project with draconian overtones about dystopian futures, in which Burke effectively concluded the whole thing by saying, "So what should you do? I don't know." Thanks ever so much, James.

FYI: Chinese spelling is not pronounced like French spelling. The Hainan capital of Haikou is pronounced like "hai-koh", not like "haiku".

well, starting off with a boeing flight is already .... super dangerous

That old US landing ship is pretty sad looking. Throw a new coat of paint on it or something.

I don't know why China wouldn't want to seek a compromise as the biggest regional power. It could agree to having the waters be held by nobody to allow safe passage and free trade, and negotiate partnerships or division of resource exploitation rights. Everybody could get something out of this, and stop wasting their time and resources over a bunch of useless islands and non-islands, along with being able to avoid potentially getting dragged into a war with the US over these dumb islands in particular. It just looks like pride to me, and pride cometh before the fall.

It doesn't matter what is right and wrong it's how much military power you have and what you can force to happen.

I learned about these islands a couple decades ago, and the countries claiming them. It was nice to see e video dedicated to it.

I don't even have to watch it to know, that oil reserves are in the area

The name 'Taiping island' makes me nervous...

There is no year zero. When the Gregorian calendar was established, it went from 1 BC directly to 1 AD the following year.

All these global events provide such a great opportunity for people who have absolutely nothing to do with it, to pick a side in a conflict they aren't involved with, or don't understand, to argue with people online, feel morally superior and insult with an alternative view. What a time to be alive.

Somewhat lacking. No mention of the efforts at multilateral resolution of disputes via the efforts are forging a Code of Conduct for the South China Sea, and the power dynamics that have hampered those efforts. Also it doesn't explain how the ASEAN claimants have been cordial with one another on the matter for years.

Great video, should be shown in the biggest screen in Bamban Tarlac in 4K

Lines on map. Make my day. In all seriousness though, this is very fascinating to see how each nation decided to claim parts of the South China Sea. It really helped me to understand maybe just a little how this is such a touchy and delicate subject, effecting all nations in the South China Sea.

It's easy to see but hard to believe that a fight over these tiny islands and/or Taiwan could escalate ultimately into a nuclear war between superpowers. How absurd!!

Jet Lag claiming obscure islands and atolls in South China Sea would be dope

Philippines is not a small country, they rank 74th, almost same size as Italy and bigger than New Zealand and UK and they have like 115 million people.

I love Wendover videos

The important note is, Taiwan is siding with China in this Spratly island dispute. They consider the nine dash line as theirs. Also, there is southern island of Natuna that China wants to dispute with Indonesia. But Indonesia refuse to negotiate or talk about it at all. since opening any negotiation meaning that the nine dash claim as true.

I think this guy and the guy from HAI would get along quite well

Year 2124: China claims Hawaii as its territory as per the historical records of the Ching dynasty

Outstanding music this episode

He neglected to mention that Taiwan is not part of the UN, so they pretty much ignored the Philippines ruling too.

Why is the reach of Han dynasty sovereignty even relevant when it comes to modern day China? You're conceding *so* much by even mentioning that talking point. Does Italy have a right to claim all of Spain, France, England, Egypt, Turkey, the Balkans, and the entirety of northern Africa because the Roman empire once occupied it?

China claims James Shoal to be the southern most point of their territory, which it’s not even above the sea level. I am not sure how they manage to push this down to every Chinese national’s throat. Gonna be some next level mental gymnastics.

Paracel, Spratley, South China Sea Man, I know all of these. From Bf4. Not gonna lie, it's just a beach episode of Balkans

I saw "fight" as "flight" and thought it was odd HAI wasn't the one doing whatever this particular odd quirk in airline transportation would be lol

No way bro did the Nebula ad when we haven’t seen a logistics of X video in like a year 😅

Another banger my friend

This is like a footnote or behind the scenes Video for the MapMen Episode to explain more Details.

This is just a massive game of Anno 2070

These islands are loaded with GUANO. Guano is like Spice in Dune. He who controls the guano will have control over the Empire !

Every Chinese comment looks like one of the following: We are strong. You are weak. Yours are mine. Hahahahahahaha😂😂😂😂😂

Simultaneously flies to... that's an impressive plane.

And of course wendover starts with aircraft info

@15:02 "China was found in the wrong"

Land is land, it doesn't have "memory". Who "owns" the land is whoever has the power to defend the land from others.

China are also provoking Australia. Remember the sonar incident that injured Aussie divers?

The Philippine National Territory consists of (1) All the islands of the Philippines Archipelago lying within the lines of the 1898 Treaty of Paris, (2) All the islands of the Philippines Archipelago lying outside the lines of the 1898 Treaty of Paris as clarified in the 1900 Treaty of Washington, and as shown in the 1734 Murillo Velarde Map, the 1808 Carta General del Archipelago Filipino, and the 1875 Carta General del Archipelago Filipino, (3) All the islands on the Philippines side of the boundary demarcated in the 1930 US-UK Treaty separating British North, Borneo, and Southern Philippines.

WOW!

The Sierra Madre, the pride of the Philippine navy!

if watergun fights are fine, that means it's time to deploy metal gear ray

The main port of Taiwan is Kaohsiung in the south of it, not Taipei, which is not even on the coast and is in the north, and not even by the South China Sea.

Western indo pacific or Philippine sea , Or north by south China sea is a tiny 150 mile from shore being very kind to them when saying this but unfortunately they've spent huge money to get people to call a massive exaggerated area this name south China sea. Ppl see China on a map and overlook the fact its island nations who own more international waters in this sea than China ever has.

This just in: a volcanic island has just appeared today, China has recently discovered 12 century documents claiming these newly created islands has belonged to China since the 1800’s

4:56 The bottom left corner reads "TEU count circa 2022". However, the numbers on screen are measured in thousands of TEUs, not TEUs.

The islands themselves have little value, but who controls them controls the see around them (what’s really important) and the oil/gas underneath

Sierra madre?!?! Fallout new Vegas reference?!?!?? Elijah now holds that Territorial claim!?!?

Sam for jet lag you should do a tag across the world that last a week

that beached philippines ship feels like something straight out of a bethesda game

even on google maps the archipelago is heavily blurred out meaning there's a lot of things going on

Oooh look new plane video! *clicks*

Even calling it the south China sea makes it seem like it belongs to them. Might as well call it the south Taiwan sea to piss them off.

Audaciousness? I think you mean audacity! 😅

We all need to learn from the Icelandic Coast Guard on how to deal with illegal fishing vessels.

Shockingly, the US is right in the middle of it.🙄

only Malaysia and Brunei interpretation makes sense lmao

Well if it's a stalemate, it's good. They all want to protect their trade routes in the end.

i wonder how well any of them will last with rising sea levels

The Philippine claim dates back to the Spanish Colonial times, with official maps under Spain and other European maps.

Anyone else get Spongebob vibes from that shipwreck?

For us Vietnamese, the Paracel and Spartly islands are not just territorial claim but also the result of the monarchial dynasty's effort to pursue control over it.

Its funny how the world is "decarbonising" but every single country in the world is searching for new oil deposits to explore.