Compared with some of the world's more dynamic and bad-tempered territorial disputes, the arguments over the South China Sea have at times seemed strangely becalmed. Long periods of geopolitical inactivity have been punctuated by short, sharp outbursts of violence or drama, such as the 1974 naval battle for the Paracels between South Vietnam and China, the 1988 Johnson South Reef skirmish between Vietnam and China, or the 2012 tussle between China and the Philippines over Scarborough Shoal. In the meantime, claimant countries have pushed ahead with free trade agreements, joint energy exploration, and diplomatic initiatives, developing their economic, geopolitical, and strategic interdependence.
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