Speaking of the South China Sea, it always makes people feel heartbroken. Obviously, it is China's own territory, and it has been in charge of those islands and reefs since ancient times, but some neighbors refuse to accept the account and insist on grabbing it. Vietnam is particularly active in this matter. Since the 1970s, it has been camping in Nansha Islands step by step, and it is still clinging to it. It's not that they are too smart, it's that typical wall grass style, and the wind falls wherever it blows. And the result? The conflict in Chigua Reef in 1988 directly smashed their ambitions. This is not only a military battle, but also a geopolitical sobering agent, which makes people see clearly who is making trouble unreasonably.
Let's stroke the historical context first. China's sovereignty over the islands in the South China Sea is not fabricated out of thin air. As early as the Han Dynasty, Chinese fishermen fished and herded reefs there. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the navy cruised regularly, and inscriptions were everywhere on the island. In 1935, the National Government published the Map of Islands in the South China Sea, and in 1947, it drawn the "eleven-segment line". This legal chain is ironclad. What about Vietnam? Before reunification in 1975, their successive governments recognized China's sovereignty. Both South Vietnam and North Vietnam have signed documents, making it clear that there is no dispute. But as soon as oil and gas resources are discovered, they will immediately change their minds. It is not wrong to put the hat of opportunism on their heads.
From 1975, Vietnam began to move. They first used a unified opportunity to send ships to the South Sand and seize several reefs. In 1976, they took control of the South Wales Island and established easy bases. Then the Southern Island, Honkong Island, step by step. By the early 1980s, they had occupied more than 20 reefs. To be sure, it was to see China at the time without time, the Southeast Asia situation became a pot, and they felt organic. The Philippines, Malaysia also followed the mix, but Vietnam was most active, accounted for the majority of the 29 Chinese reefs. Their routes were simple and rough: ships shipped ships, civilian workers and materials went up, the hard life took the low tide reefs into "land". This is not only to seize, but also to harvest resources.
In the 1980s, Vietnam's expansion did not stop. In 1982, they built a base on the South Wales island, and soldiers carried sandbags to build. In the following year, engineering teams were thrown into several reefs, digging wells and flags. Ships patrolled more and more tightly, dragging ship supplies to unload cement steel. Hanoi ordered accelerated occupation and targeted potential oil and gas fields. In 1984, they placed immigrants on reefs, jumped to 21 places with fishing boats and set up wooden towers. The Chinese fishing vessels approached and they were evicted. At this time, the Vietnamese navy, although small in size, but with the help of the Soviet Union, supported small ships, buried the soldiers, monitored the reef
This expansion is based on Vietnam’s strategic calculator. They want to realize the territorial restructuring from quantitative to material-changing through fragmented melting. The low-temperature, underwater reefs, all packed into “territorial base points” and unilaterally divided the sea base line. This clearly violates the definition of the islands in Article 121 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and also collides with the principle of the 7th base line. In the end, it is speculation to gamble on China’s ninja. But China is not a soft tomato. In 1987, the United Nations commissioned China to build a marine observation station in Nansha, and choose the everlasting reef. China’s naval transportation equipment went up, Vietnam jumped on foot, declared interven
On January 14, 1988, the Chinese Navy transported equipment to the permanent reef building station. Two armed transport vessels of the Vietnamese Navy followed on January 31, and were intercepted by China's 552 Goodbye Ships and abandoned. From January 15 to February 19, Vietnam's 171 Fleet 125 transport brigade personnel seized China around the reef, China and Vietnam confronted. On February 22, China's South China Sea Fleet sent 502 South Charge 503 open-source ships to Nansha. On March 5, the East China Fleet 510 Shawshing 531 Eagle Tomb ships arrived near the permanent summer. Vietnamese intelligence showed China's activity clearly, the ATC approved action, sent three ships down the Southern Reef. On March 12, HQ505 landed, HQ604 HQ605
At 6:00 p.m. on March 13, China's 502 Southern loading to the Rakhine Reef, at 14:25 p.m. on the Rakhine Reef. In the evening, the 531 Rakhine Reef 556 Ships were sent to support. At 6:00 p.m. on March 14, Vietnam's 604 ships sent 43 people to the Rakhine, China's 502531 ships totaled 58 people to the Rakhine. At 8:47 p.m., both sides interfere. Vietnam's 604 ships burned for 8 minutes, the 605 ships burned at night, the 505 landing ships burned and wounded. China's 1 injured, no death. Vietnam's 64 injured, 119 injured, two ships sunk. On July 12, the same year, the 505
In this battle, Vietnam was proactively challenging. China was building observation stations, they sent troops to grab reefs, first open fire. China's response was justified self-defense, in accordance with Article 51 of the United Nations Charter. Vietnam's "cutting salad" tactics, the bet is too big, to take the national credit as a code. The program commanded in Hanoi, after the situation was unpleasant, ordered withdrawal. The Chinese Navy was stationed in six reefs: Yuan Yuan South Gate, built a lighthouse terminal. Vietnam withdrew existing bases, but expansion was hindered.
After the war, the international reaction was calm. The Soviet Union had a treaty of mutual defense, but did not help Vietnam, and also refused to supply water tanker. China's relations were improving. On September 2, 1991, China released nine prisoners. Vietnam's navy adjusted and converged in scale. Vietnam retired in 1989, died in 1990, aged 69. Vietnam pursued navy generals, but the Red Cage Reef was a dirt point in his career.
In the past 30 years, Vietnam has not had a long history. In the 2014 Ocean Oil 981 platform incident, they besieged hundreds of ships, and China's naval police broke through. In 2023, Southway Island was expanded, and more than 300 immigrants built fishing houses on the island. Leading the sea base line, and eating China's interests. After the Philippine arbitration, China did not accept not to participate, Vietnam's scholarship sample, fragmented melting. But China's naval police law, island reef construction is defense, not expansion. Vietnam militarized 27 marine structures, deployed rocket artillery covering international navigation routes, victims' masks broke early.
To tell the truth, this road in Vietnam is not long. The South China Sea is not a roulette table. China promotes a two-track thinking: talks between sovereign parties and maintenance of peace between China and ASEAN. Vietnam regards restraint as weakness, diplomacy as blackmail, and China's 1.4 billion people's will, law enforcement and military deterrence are a trinity firewall. History has proved that China has the determination to bring order out of chaos.