These tiny islands, reefs, and shoals are driving much of Asia to the brink of war

Barely a week passes without a tense incident in the disputed waters of the South and East China Seas: A Philippine naval ship shooting up a Taiwanese fishing boat, Chinese patrols edging closer to islands claimed by Japan—even diplomatically provocative cruise ship outings.

At least eight nations claim territory in the region, and tensions have continued to escalate as fisherman expand into new waters and countries eye up the potential for oil and gas deposits.

China has made a broad claim over around 90% of the 3.5 million square kilometer area, and has pushed for one-on-one talks with its neighbors, rather than a regional solution—the preferred solution of the United States, which is allied with many of the claimants and is making a heralded “pivot” to boost its presence in the region. ASEAN, the regional group of Southeast Asia governments, has thus far failed to resolve much of anything.

It’s clear nobody wants war, but plenty of experts say it is possible. Here is a brief compendium of the miniscule land, reefs, shoals, and stretches of open water that have much of Asia on edge.

1) 

The Senkaku / Diaoyu Islands

• The five tiny uninhabited islands known to Japan as Senkaku and China as Diaoyu could fit into Manhattan a dozen times over. Both countries alongside  Taiwan claim the territory, which has strategic significance due to its proximity to shipping lanes, fish shoals and–potentially–natural resources.
• Claims go back hundreds of years and center on everything from the islands’ discovery, the location of oceanic trenches,  and American control of the islands after the Second World War. Japan has current de facto control.
• Japan and China clashed over the islands in September 2012 when the Japanese government bought them from their private owner, leading to destructive anti-Japanese protests all over China and billions of dollars in lost Japanese exports. Periodic flare-ups have occured ever since, most recently in April over a group of Japanese protestors who threatened to land on the islands.
• Tension is still high. On Thursday Japanese media reported that three Chinese government ships had again entered waters around the islands. Taiwan has been much less assertive over its claim, but recently agreed fishing access with Japan, to China’s consternation.

2) 

Open Water

• With so many nations competing for dominance of the same sea, it is unsurprising that chance encounters in any stretch of water can escalate quickly. One such dispute between Taiwan and the Philippines led to the death of a Taiwanese fisherman this month.  It took place around a small scattering of islands and reefs between the two countries. Taiwan responded by patrolling the sea with a destroyer and fighter jets, (which it then rejected) and on the Philippines.