Origins of China’s South China Sea claims

An academic article explaining how China came to claim remote islands in the South China Sea during the period between 1907 and 1947. This is, so far as I can tell, the definitive account. It is a story of confusion and accident, mistranslation and poor map-making. I hope that it shows there is nothing ‘sacred’ or ancient about China’s territorial claims in the South China Sea and that the region can resolve the disputes peacefully.

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0097700418771678