an international problem that the countries of the region have not been able to resolve for several decades. The main opponents in this issuethe conflict over the Paracel Islands and the Spratly Islands - China and Vietnam. Each side has its own evidence base for making territorial claims regarding the ownership of both the islands themselves and the oil-and gas-rich bottom of the South China Sea. Nearby countries — the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia, Brunei, Singapore, and Indonesia-are also involved in the regional conflict, which also claim certain parts of the Spratly archipelago and have already raised their flags on some islands. The International Court of Justice and the relevant UN bodies, which have repeatedly examined the essence of the problem, pointed out with concern that these waters contain busy maritime routes and the main trade route from the Pacific Ocean to the Indian Ocean. Keywords: Paracel Islands (Paracels), Spratly Archipelago, China, Vietnam, South China Sea. The Paracel Islands (Xisha in Chinese cartography, Hoang Sa in Vietnamese) are located in the South China Sea, 200 km southeast of the Chinese island of Hainan and 300 km east of the coast of Vietnam. The archipelago consists of 15 islands, as well as reefs and shoals, located on the territory of 46 thousand square kilometers within a radius of 100 km. Its length from west to east is 180 km, and from north to south-170 km, the total area of the islands is about 3 square kilometers. On Vietnamese maps, the archipelago is considered as a single whole, while on Chinese maps it is divided into two groups of islands - Amphitrite and Croissant. Since 1974, the archipelago is controlled by the PRC, and the Republic of China (Taiwan) also claims its ownership. Vietnam administratively refers the islands to the provincial-level city of Da Nang, China-to the island-province of Hainan, Taiwan-to Kaohsiung. On the issue of disputed jurisdiction over the Spratly Archipelago, Vietnam has found suppor ... Read more