In a provocative move, China has named a new city atop the tiny Tongxing Island in the South China Sea. According to AP, the city, Sansha, represents China’s latest move to lay claim to a series of islands also claimed by the Philippines and Vietnam, neither of whom recognized the legality of the new move.
While little more than half the size of Manhattan’s Central Park, Yongxing sits amidst some of the busiest commercial sea lanes in Asia, and also offers access to fishing grounds and oil exploration. The International Crisis Group laid blame for the increased tensions on all parties, saying that the claimants “are now more forcefully defending their claims — and enlisting outside allies — with considerable energy.”
