Translation of Xisha zhi zhan.
The Paracel Islands consist of over 30 islets, sandbanks or reefs, occupy about 15,000 km2 of the ocean surface, and located in the South China Sea, also known as East Vietnam Sea or East Sea.

the political and diplomatic dispute became an armed conflict on January 20, 1974 in the Battle of the Paracel Islands. On January 16, six South Vietnamese Army officers and an American observer reported to Saigon suspected military activities of the People's Liberation Army Navy at the Drummond and Duncan islands. After receiving the report, the government of the Republic of Vietnam decided to evict the PRC forces.[33] The country sent a unit of frigates to the area to confront a fleet of the People's Republic of China over the line of control. At the end, the Chinese fleet defeated the naval force of the Republic of Vietnam. With the ongoing civil war embroiling South Vietnam's attention and being subject to a significant reduction in military supplies from the United States of America, no military attempt was made to retake the islands from the People's Republic of China. The islands have been controlled by the People's Republic of China ever since.