Battle of the Paracel Islands

Date: January 20, 1974 • Location: Sansha, China

China gains control over all the Paracel Islands after a military engagement between the naval forces of China and South Vietnam.

The Paracel Islands, also known as the Xisha Islands and the Hoàng Sa Archipelago, are an archipelago in the South China Sea. It is under the control of the People's Republic of China, but its sovereignty in whole or in part is disputed by Taiwan and Vietnam.