SPRATLY ISLAND

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Context

• China deployed three navigation beacons around the contested Spratly islands of the South China Sea.

Spratly Island Pointers

• The Spratly Islands are a disputed archipelago in the South China Sea.
• The archipelago lies off the coasts of the Philippines, Malaysia, and southern Vietnam.
• It is claimed in its entirety by China, Taiwan and Vietnam, while portions are claimed by Malaysia and the Philippines.
• The northeast part of the Spratly Islands is known as Dangerous Ground and is characterized by many low islands, sunken reefs, and degraded, sunken atolls with coral.
• Economic activity has included commercial fishing, shipping, guano mining, oil and gas exploitation, and more recently, tourism.

READ ABOUT SOUTH CHINA SEA: https://www.iasgyan.in/daily-current-affairs/south-china-sea