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Nine-Dash Line
A demarcation line used by China to claim sovereignty over approximately 90% of the South China Sea, including waters and islands also claimed by Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, and Taiwan. The line was inherited from a 1947 Republic of China map and has no agreed basis in international law. In 2016, an international arbitration tribunal under UNCLOS ruled that China's historical claims within the Nine-Dash Line had no legal basis, a ruling China rejected.
South China Sea Disputes
Overlapping territorial and maritime claims in the South China Sea involving China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, and Taiwan. The disputes concern sovereignty over island chains (including the Paracel Islands and Spratly Islands), rights to exclusive economic zones (EEZs), and freedom of navigation. China has constructed artificial islands on submerged reefs and installed military facilities on them since 2013, significantly altering the balance of military presence in the region.