Hi Nick,

No, they're not islands (though the ABC and SBS seem to have adopted that misnomer), but reefs and shoals, under water at high tide, so they can't be legally claimed by anyone.

Obviously, if it were at all possible to persuade the Chinese to see reason, and not to keep chancing their arm against smaller nations, those shoals should be internationalised, with all countries in the region, particularly those closest, being able to develop their resources jointly, perhaps under international supervision. A bit like the situation between East Timor and Australia.

People forget that New Zealand was nominally administered from Sydney until 1840, so any shoals around New Zealand which their government has not claimed, could be just as easily claimed by New South Wales as the Chinese claims on those south sea shoals.

Hmmmm .... should we build runways and missile sites on one of our historic shoals, on our own beloved territory ?

Ludicrous nonsense.

Joe