The Mikado
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Atlas Star
Posts: 21,907
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« on: August 19, 2012, 10:34:27 AM » |
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Some of those rocks, especially the Spratlys and Paracels, are surrounded by rich oil fields, but that doesn't really explain the rocks Japan, Korea, and China feud over up north.
As everyone else has pointed out, the value isn't so much the rocks themselves as suddenly having the waters around that rock become national, giving you exclusive fishing rights etc., allowing you to constrict your rivals' shipping routes...
And, of course, Foucaulf is right that the islands are a great cause for all parties involved to shift domestic unrest to protesting about those evil Chinese/Koreans/Vietnamese/Japanese/Malaysians/insert country here sitting on our land.
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