evidence: Chinese archaeologists haven't started excavating sites at the Scarborough Shoal, but they have begun work on Chinese wrecks around the Paracel Islands, which lie about 200 miles from the coasts of China and Vietnam and are claimed by both countries. China has controlled the islands since 1974, when it defeated Vietnam in a brief naval battle. [...] A Philippines coast guard ship was sent to the area but kept its distance. A tense standoff ensued as Chinese and Filipino officials accused one another of violating territorial boundaries. [...] The Scarborough Shoal incident, by contrast, marked the first time a country in the region used force to stop another nation's underwater archaeological project, experts say.