1870-British naval captain James George Meads established the micronation The Republic of Morac-Songhrati-Meads.

1900-Vietnam's Nguyn Dynasty continued to assert that the state Bac Hai Company had exercised Vietnam's sovereignty in the Spratlys since
the 18th century.
1927-The French ship SS De Lanessan conducted a scientific survey of the Spratly Islands.
1930-France launched a second expedition with the La Malicieuse, which raised the French flag on an island called le de la Tempte. Chinese
fishermen were present on the island, but the French made no attempt to expel them.
1933-Three French ships took control of nine of the largest islands and declared French sovereignty over the archipelago to the great powers
including the UK, US, China and Japan, according to the principles found in the Berlin convention. France administered the area as part of
Cochinchina. Japanese companies applied to the French authority in Cochichina for phosphate mining licenses in the Spratlys.
1939-The Empire of Japan disputed French sovereignty over the islands, citing that Japan was the first country to discover the islands. Japan
declared its intention to place the island group under its jurisdiction. France and the United Kingdom protested and reasserted French sovereignty
claims.
1941-Japan forcibly occupied the island group and remained in control until the end of World War II, administering the area as part of Taiwan. A
Japanese submarine base was established on Itu Aba Island.
1945-After Japan's surrender at the end of World War II, the Republic of China claimed the Paracel and Spratly Islands. The Republic of China
sent troops to Itu Aba Island; forces erected sovereignty markers and named it Taiping Island.
1946-France dispatched warships to the islands several times, but no attempts were made to evict Chinese forces.
1947-China produced a map with 9 undefined dotted lines, and claimed all of the islands within those lines.[72] France demanded the Chinese
withdraw from the islands.
1948-France ceased maritime patrols near the islands and China withdrew most of its troops.
1951-At the 1951 San Francisco Conference on the Peace Treaty with Japan, the Soviet Union proposed that the Spratlys belonged to China. This
was overwhelmingly rejected by the delegates. The delegates from Vietnam, which at that time was a French protectorate, declared sovereignty
over the Paracel and the Spratly Islands, which was not opposed by any delegate at the conference. China did not attend the conference and was
not a signatory of the treaty.
1956-Tomas Cloma, director of the Maritime Institute of the Philippines, claimed sovereignty over the northwestern two-thirds of the Spratly
Islands, naming his territory "Kalaya'an" ("Freedomland"). The People's Republic of China, the Republic of China, France, South Vietnam, the
United Kingdom and the Netherlands all issued protests. The Republic of China and South Vietnam launched naval units to the islands, though
South Vietnam left no permanent garrison. Later in the year, South Vietnam declared its annexation of the Spratly Islands as part of its Phc
Tuy Province.
1958-The People's Republic of China issued a declaration defining its territorial waters which encompassed the Spratly Islands. North Vietnam's
prime minister, Phm Vn ng, sent a formal note to Zhou Enlai, stating that the Government of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam respects
the decision on the 12 nautical mile limit of territorial waters. Both the South Vietnamese government and the communist revolutionary
movement in South Vietnam continued to assert that the Spratlys belonged to Vietnam.
1961-63-South Vietnam established sovereignty markers on several islands in the chain.
1968-The Philippines sent troops to three islands on the premise of protecting Kalayaan citizens, and announced the annexation of the Kalayaan
island group.
1971-Malaysia issued claims to some of the Spratly Islands.
1972-The Philippines incorporated the Kalayaan islands into its Palawan province.
1975-The unified Vietnam declared claims over the Spratly Islands.
1978-A presidential decree from the Philippines outlined territorial claims to the Kalayaan portion of the islands.
1979-Malaysia published a map of its continental shelf claim, which includes twelve islands from the Spratly group. Vietnam published a white
paper outlining its claims to the islands and disputing those of the other claimants.
1982-Vietnam published another white paper, occupied several of the islands and constructed military installations. The Philippines occupied
several more islands and constructed an air strip.[where?]
1983-Malaysia occupied Swallow Reef (Layang Layang), in the south of the Spratly Islands. A naval base and diving resort was later built at this
location on reclaimed land.
1984-Brunei established an exclusive fishing zone encompassing the Louisa Reef and neighboring areas in the southeastern Spratly Islands.
1986-The first Philippine-Vietnam Joint Marine Scientific Research Expedition in the South China Sea was conducted aboard the RPS Explorer.
1987-The People's Republic of China conducted naval patrols in the Spratly Islands and established a permanent base.[where?]
1988-PRC warships and Vietnamese transport ships clashed at the South Johnson Reef. Over 70 Vietnamese were killed and two Vietnamese
transport ships were sunk. The PRC gained control of some of the Spratly reefs.
1995-The Philippine government revealed that a PRC military structure was being built at the Mischief Reef. Philippine President Fidel Ramos
ordered increased patrols of the Philippine-controlled areas; the incident lead to numerous arrests of Chinese fishermen and naval clashes with
PLAN vessels.
1999-A Philippine World-War-II-vintage vessel (LT 57 Sierra Madre) ran aground on the Second Thomas Shoal. Despite initial PRC demands
for its removal, and subsequent PRC offers for its free removal, the vessel remains aground on the reef.
2008-Taiwan's President became the first head of state from the claimant countries to visit the Spratly islands. His visit sparked criticism from
other claimants.
2009-The Office of the Philippine President enacted the "Philippine Baselines Law of 2009" (RA 9522). The law classifies the Kalayaan Island
Group and the Scarborough Shoal as a "regime of islands under the Republic of the Philippines." This means that the Philippines continues to lay
claim over the disputed islands. In May, two submissions were made to the UN's Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS): a
joint submission by Malaysia and Vietnam claims jurisdiction over their respective continental shelves out to 200 nautical miles; a submission by
Vietnam claims jurisdiction over an extended shelf area. The People's Republic of China and the Philippines both protested the moves stating that
they violated agreements made with regards to the islands.
2011-On 18 May 2011, China Mobile announced that its mobile phone coverage had expanded to the Spratly Islands, under the rationale that it
can allow soldiers stationed on the islands, fishermen and merchant vessels within the area to use mobile services, and can also provide assistance
during storms and sea rescues. The deployment of China Mobile's support over the islands took roughly one year to fulfil. In May, PRC patrol
boats attacked and cut the cables of Vietnamese oil exploration ships near the Spratly Islands. The incidents sparked several anti-China protests in
Vietnam. In June, the PLA navy conducted three days of exercises, including live fire drills, in the disputed waters. This was widely seen as a
warning to Vietnam, which had also conducted live fire drills near the Spratly Islands. PRC patrol boats fired repeated rounds at a target on an
apparently uninhabited island, as twin fighter jets streaked in tandem overhead. 14 vessels participated in the maneuvers, staging antisubmarine
and beach landing drills aimed at "defending atolls and protecting sea lanes.
2014-On 6 May 2014, Philippines police arrested 11 Chinese turtle poachers on board the Qiongqionghai near Half Moon Shoal.