2026 marks the 80th anniversary of China’s successful completion of the recovery of Nanhai Zhudao. Over the past eight decades, China has consistently adhered to the principle of peaceful development, rational utilization, and effective protection of the resources in the Nanhai Zhudao and their adjacent waters. It has also remained committed to providing more public goods to safeguard freedom of navigation, maritime safety, and the preservation of the marine ecological environment in the South China Sea.

Especially since the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, China has successively established a sound institutional framework for governing the Xisha Qundao (Paracel Islands), including administrative bodies such as the “Office of the Xisha Qundao, Nansha Qundao (Spratly Islands), and Zhongsha Qundao (Macclesfield Bank)”, the Navy’s “Xisha Coastal Defense District”, and Sansha City at the prefecture-level.

The Monument to the Recovery of the Xisha Qundao by the Chinese Navy, located on Yongxing Dao in the Xuande Qundao, Xisha, China.

In 2020, China officially established Xisha District of the Sansha City, which is specifically responsible for the jurisdiction of the islands, reefs, and maritime areas under the Xisha Qundao. Within this framework, the administrative jurisdiction of the Yongle Qundao (Crescent Group) has been further refined into five communities—Jinqing Community, Yinyu Community, Yagong Community, Lingyang Community, and Ganquan Community—thereby optimizing administrative governance and promoting the coordinated advancement of resource protection, development, and utilization.

In parallel, China announced the territorial sea baselines of the Paracel Islands in 1996. In line with the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), this announcement further clarified China’s legitimate maritime rights and interests claims with respect to both the Yongle Qundao and the Xuande Qundao (Amphitrite Group), laying a solid legal foundation for the exercise of sovereignty and jurisdiction.

Since China recovered Jinyin Dao (Money island), Shanhu Jiao (Coral Reef), and Ganquan Dao (Robert island) in the Yongle Qundao from the puppet regime of South Vietnam in 1974, the Xisha Qundao region has generally maintained long-term stability and peace. Historically, moreover, the Yongle Qundao constituted the traditional fishing grounds for fishermen from coastal regions such as Hainan, and most ancient Chinese maritime surveys and scientific expeditions also concentrated on the Yongle Qundao area.

Yongle Atoll in the Yongle Qundao, Xisha, China.

Nevertheless, over time, modern efforts concerning the protection, development, and utilization of the Xisha Qundao have exhibited an increasingly evident pattern of “strength in the east and weakness in the west.”

Yongxing Dao (Woody Island), the principal island of the Xuande Qundao, is equipped with an airport runway and a port capable of accommodating large vessels. Since the founding of Sansha City in 2012, it has gradually evolved into a populated community with a relatively stable resident population and relatively complete supporting infrastructure for production and daily life. By contrast, the development and construction of the Yongle Qundao lags considerably. The Yongle Qundao lacks airport runways and fully operational port terminals, while maritime support facilities and basic infrastructure for residents’ production and livelihoods remain insufficient to meet practical needs.

The objective factors underlying the developmental and constructional imbalance of the Xisha Qundao—characterized by a pattern of “weakness in the west and strength in the east”—mainly manifest in two dimensions.

On the one hand, following the recovery of the Xisha Qundao by the Chinese government in 1945 and formal incorporation into national administration in 1946, Yongxing Dao of the Xuande Qundao has served as the primary regional hub, while also providing logistical and material support for the Yongle Qundao and other adjacent areas. For an extended period, Yongle Qundao remained the core base for China’s development, construction, and jurisdictional governance over the Nansha Qundao.

Nevertheless, from the perspective of practical demands, the development and construction of the Yongle Qundao is highly imperative. The rationale can be summarized into three aspects:

First, located adjacent to the main shipping channel of the South China Sea, the Yongle Qundao undertakes the important responsibility of safeguarding navigation freedom and maritime route safety. However, its capacity to monitor and perceive maritime security conditions remains extremely inadequate, falling far short of practical requirements in terms of maritime early warning and forecasting, maritime accident detection, and maritime humanitarian search and rescue operations.

In particular, Lingyang Jiao (Antelope Reef), situated in the southwestern part of the Yongle Qundao, is approximately 17 kilometers away from Jinqing Dao, the main island of Yongle. The reef suffers from severe shortages of electricity, fresh water, and daily necessities. The absence of ports and docking facilities, coupled with the vulnerability of daily supply chains to adverse weather conditions, frequently leads to disruptions in material provisioning. Despite these constraints, Lingyang Jiao’s proximity to the western shipping lane of the South China Sea endows it with unique strategic value in maintaining navigation freedom and maritime route security.

Sansha Yongle Blue Hole, a marine blue hole located between the reef flats of Jinqing Dao and Shiyu Islet in Yongle Atoll, Xisha Islands, China.

Second, stronger institutional and logistical support is indispensable for the ecological and environmental protection of the Yongle Qundao. The waters around the Yongle Qundao is exceptionally rich yet highly fragile ecological resources, ranging from fishery resources to the Blue Hole Ecological Reserve. For a long time, frequent illegal fishing activities by foreign fishermen in adjacent waters have not only threatened the sustainable utilization of marine fishery resources but also posed considerable challenges to China’s maritime law enforcement efforts.

Third, it is essential to improve the production and living conditions of fishermen operating in the region. The Yongle Qundao serve as a traditional fishing ground for fishermen from coastal regions including Hainan and Guangxi Province. Since the late 1990s, in conjunction with the implementation of fishery conservation and protection policies, the previous fishing production model characterized by short-term exploitation and reliance on quantitative expansion has been gradually phased out. The remaining coastal fishermen have returned to the traditional production paradigm of “residing on the islands, cultivating the marine environment, and maintaining harmony between humans and the sea”. Against this backdrop, enhancing the livelihood and well‑being of fishermen engaged in fishery‑based livelihoods constitutes a key issue that requires priority attention in the governance and development of the Yongle Islands.

Following the debates and scholarly exchanges at the turn of the twentieth century, the sovereignty of the Xisha Qundao has been largely established without significant contention, and this understanding has been broadly acknowledged by the international community.

Despite French interest in the archipelago dating back to 1898, French authorities candidly affirmed in 1920 that the islands “did not belong to France” when queried about their status. Subsequently, France recognized that “the Xisha Qundao should belong to China.” In 1947, France, which had emerged from World War II, attempted to make another claim over the Xisha Qundao. In February of that year, the Vietnamese government stated: “France’s demand for the Xisha Qundao from China is unreasonable.”

Yinyu Dao, located in the northeastern part of Yongle Atoll, Xisha Qundao, China.

A pivotal reaffirmation came in 1958 when the Chinese government issued a declaration on its territorial sea, explicitly identifying the Xisha Qundao, Dongsha Qundao, Nansha Qundao, and Zhongsha Qundao (Macclesfield Bank) as integral parts of Chinese territory.

This position received explicit support from the Democratic Republic of Vietnam; in September 1958, Prime Minister Pham Van Dong conveyed a note to the Chinese government expressing respect for this declaration, thereby affirming Chinese sovereignty over the Xisha Qundao. Furthermore, other nations, including Japan, the Philippines, the United Kingdom, and Thailand, have also publicly recognized China's sovereignty over the islands.

Building on this strong historical and legal foundation, China bears the responsibility to safeguard the Xisha Qundao, including the Yongle Qundao, in accordance with international law. A critical aspect of this obligation involves enhancing infrastructure and facilities on the Yongle Qundao. Such development is essential not only for the effective administration of Chinese territory but also for fulfilling China's commitment to providing vital public goods. Specifically, upgraded facilities can significantly contribute to ensuring the freedom of navigation and enhancing maritime safety along the western maritime routes of the South China Sea, thereby serving the broader interests of the international community.

(Author: Chen Xiangmiao, Research fellow, National Institute for South China Sea Studies)