South China Sea dispute (Scotland says "Yes")

The South China Sea disputes involve both island and maritime claims among several sovereign states within the region, namely Brunei, the People's Republic of China, the Republic of China (Taiwan), Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam. Non-claimants want the South China Sea to remain as international waters, with the United States conducting "freedom of navigation" operations.

The disputes occur at the Spratly Islands and the Paracel Islands, and also extending to Indonesia's Nantua Islands and the Gulf of Tonkin. Five trillion dollars worth of shipborne goods pass through this area yearly, thus concerning the international community. There have been tensions in the area recently, namely when China occupied the Scarborough Shoal from the Philippines in July 2012 and the ramming of a Vietnamese fishing vessel in May 2014. This has caused the United States to deploy more of its troops, ships, and aircraft in the region; establish an Enhanced Cooperation Defense Agreement with the Philippines, and lifting the arms embargo against Vietnam. Japan has also stated that upon reinterpreting its constitution, the JSDF could now be mobilized to come to the defense of their allies as a form of "collective self-defense." Australia, New Zealand, Japan, India, and the United Kingdom have also been involved in the area by sending ships to patrol the South China Sea similar to the "freedom of navigation" operations similar to the U.S.

With the insurgency in Tibet, the nations bullied by China are using this as an advantage to retake their claimed territory that is occupied by the Chinese.

Brunei
Brunei does not have military garrisons on it's claims. In 1984, the country stated that the Southern portions of the Spratly Islands belonged to it's EEZ.

China

 * Cuarteron Reef
 * Fiery Cross Reef
 * Gaven Reefs
 * Johnson Reef South (site of naval skirmish in 1988)
 * Mischief Reef (seized from the Philippines in 1995)
 * Paracel Islands (occupied from Republic of Vietnam since 1974)
 * Scarborough Shoal (occupied in 2012)
 * Subi Reef

Malaysia

 * Ardaiser Reef
 * Dallas Reef
 * Erica Reef
 * Investigator Shoal
 * Louisa Reef (claimed by Brunei)
 * Mariveles Reef
 * Swallow Reef

Philippines

 * Commodore Reef
 * Flat Island
 * Irving Reef
 * Lankiam Cay
 * Nanshan Island (Lawak Island)
 * Northeast Cay
 * Second Thomas Shoal
 * Thitu Island (Pag-asa Island)
 * West York Island

Taiwan

 * Itu Aba Island
 * Taiping Island
 * Zhongzhou Reef

Vietnam

 * Amboyna Cay
 * Collins Reef
 * Grainger Bank (Prince of Wales Bank, Alexandra Bank)
 * Ladd Reef
 * London Reefs (West, Central, and East Reef)
 * Namyit Island
 * Prince Consort Bank
 * Rifleman Reef (Bombay Castle, Driena Shoal, Kingston Shoal)
 * Sand Cay
 * Spratly Island
 * Southwest Cay (seized from the Philippines in 1975)
 * Sin Cowe Island
 * Vanguard Bank