After a 2012 standoff with the U.S.-allied Philippines, China seized de facto control of the atoll, located about 140 miles west of Luzon Island and 700 miles from China's nearest province of Hainan.

The map, which was published in late August by China’s Ministry of Natural Resources, includes huge tracts of the South China Sea, where islands, reefs, and maritime zones are contested by half ...

Guests pose for a group photo after the opening ceremony of the World Internet Conference (WIC) Digital Silk Road Development Forum in Quanzhou, southeast China's Fujian Province, July 24, 2025.