1.   A dispute involving China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Taiwan, Malaysia and Brunei centers on the Spratly archipelago straddling important South China Sea shipping routes.

2.   Chinese construction activities on the Mischief Reef, part of the Spratly archipelago, has recently drawn a protest from the Philippines.

3.   Taiwan warned foreign vessels to stay away from an island it claims in the Spratly archipelago and confirmed its troops fired on a fishing boat two weeks ago.

4.   The Spratly archipelago straddles major sea lanes and is believed to sit atop vast oil and natural gas reserves.

5.   Vietnam claims sovereignty over the potentially oil-rich Spratly archipelago and the Paracel islands in the South China Sea.

6.   The Philippines and China are among six claimants to the disputed Spratly archipelago in the South China Sea along with Brunei, Malaysian, Taiwan and Vietnam.