evidence: The Spratly Islands consist of more than 100 tiny land masses lush in resources that are being claimed by China despite territorial claims by Taiwan, Malaysia Vietnam and the Philippines. The Spratly Islands are a diverse island chain home to more than 100 islands and reefs including banks and cays. They’re located in the disputed South China Sea, and contain an incredibly rich ecosystem containing 11 billion barrels of oil, 190 trillion cubic feet of natural gas and home to 10% of the world’s fisheries. More importantly, over 30% of global shipping trade passes through this region, leading to the economic markets of Southeast Asia. Vietnam, People’s Republic of China (PRC), the Republic of China (ROC), the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei all claim a part of the disputed Spratly Islands. Most of the countries occupy maritime areas with the exception of Brunei. [...] The Spratly Islands are currently a remote, uninhabited cluster of islands with claims by China, Vietnam, the Philippines and Malaysia. The islands are situated at the heart of the South China Sea making it a hotbed for China to claim their territory.