China considers more than 80% of the South China Sea its sovereign territory. Its construction of seven artificial islands in the Sea has raised tensions in a region with overlapping territorial and economic interests.

Vietnam disputes China’s claim to the Paracel Islands, which China has occupied since 1974. Sixty-four Vietnamese sailors died in a 1988 naval clash between Vietnam and China near Johnson South Reef.

Tensions between the Philippines and China escalated in 2012 after the Philippine navy detained eight Chinese fishing vessels near the Scarborough Shoal. China has since taken possession of the Shoal.

Taiwan and China's overlapping claim to the South China Sea is based on an imprecise "nine-dash line" drawn on a map sometime in the 1940s, before China split in 1949. Taiwan operates one outpost in the Spratlys.

Brunei and Malaysia also claim maritime boundaries in the Sea. Malaysia operates several military outposts in the Spratlys. Brunei has claims to several reefs, but occupies no territory.

The South China Sea is a vital thoroughfare for the global economy. Home to 10% of the world’s commercial ocean fish stock, the sea lies above an estimated 11 billion barrels in oil reserves.