And that is where we will disagree.
Spratlys are not the Netherlands. Not even a close compare.
Sure, you don't think so. I know that.
But if one (say a Chinese citizen, for example) were to consider the Spratlys to lie within Chinese territorial waters, then the analogy is sound. You think there is no comparison because you reject Chinese claims to those waters out of hand. But, in the eyes of a Chinese person, the activities of the Chinese state are completely normal and legal. To them, it's no different than if the US were to start reclaiming land around the Hawaiian islands.
You seem to enjoy assigning behaviors and thoughts to me.
If the PRC wants to make a claim, they should do so in a peaceful manner in cooperation with the surrounding nations.
Why did it take over 60 years for the PRC to suddenly discover their lost need to reclaim sovereignty over an area that has only the influence of some fishermen?
The PLAN could have tried any action they wanted shortly after they detonated their first nuke in 1956. But they didnt, so even if in their eyes they think they own it, they havent supported it with their acts until now.
So that clearly has undermined their position regardless of how they feel about it historically.
