First published in 1982

Wide-ranging and fully documented, this book is the first detailed study of the origins, contexts and consequences of the long-standing dispute between China, Taiwan, Vietnam and the Philippines over the Paracel and Spratly Archipelagos in the South China Sea - one of the world's most strategically important inter-ocean basins and China's southern maritime frontier.

Samuels' analysis: Highlights the impact of the shifting balance of power in Asia and the growing competition for oceanic resources

Examines the implications of the dispute in terms of the historical and modern role of China as a maritime power in Asia.