Paracel Islands Timeline:
1537 Portuguese sailor de Pinto names the islands the
Ilhas dos Tavaquerro.
1816 Vietnamese flag planted in a formal ceremony on the Paracels.
1885 China restates its claim to the islands.
17 Oct 1887 Claimed by France as part of French Indochina (see
Vietnam).
1932 China protests French sovereignty over the islands.
25 Jul 1933 Annexed to French Indochina (see
Vietnam), part of Ba Ria province.
13 Jul 1938 - Aug 1945 Japanese occupation.
23 Apr 1939 Japan declares sovereignty over the Paracel Islands.
1941 Annexed by
Japan, part of Taiwan province.
18 Jan 1947 Claimed by
Republic of China (Xisha Islands), part of Guangdong province.
1949 Claimed by Vietnam.
7 Jul 1951 Claimed by
South Vietnam.
8 Sep 1951 Japan officially renounces sovereignty by Treaty of San Francisco.
24 Mar 1953 China creates the 'Paracels, Spratlys, and Zhongsha Islands
Authority' established as a county-level administrative division
on Woody Island (named 4 Mar 1963 - 22 Oct 1981 Paracels,
Spratlys, and Zhongsha Islands Revolutionary Committee) within
Guangdong (from 1984 Hainan).
22 Oct 1956 Formally annexed by
South Vietnam, part of Phuoc Tuy province.
15 Jun 1956 North Vietnam declares that the Xisha and Nansha (Spratly) Islands are historically Chinese territories.
13 Jul 1961 Placed under Quang Nam province by South Vietnam.
19 Jan 1974 Annexed by the People's Republic of
China, part of Guangdong province (from 13 Apr 1988, Hainan province); South Vietnamese forces are expelled.
2 Jul 1976 Claimed by
Vietnam (Hoang Sa).
Therefore, Paracel Islands were claimed back and forth between Vietnam and China for more than 100 years. However, the fact had shown that
in 1816 Vietnamese flag planted in a
formal ceremony on the Paracels.