Mischief Reef

Mischief Reef

Disputed island Other names: Meiji Reef Panganiban reef Đá Vành Khăn
Mischief Reef in 2001, before Chinese land reclamation
Geography
Location	South China Sea
Coordinates	9°55′N 115°32′E / 9.917°N 115.533°E / 9.917; 115.533Coordinates: 9°55′N 115°32′E / 9.917°N 115.533°E / 9.917; 115.533
Archipelago	Spratly Islands
Administered by
People's Republic of China
Claimed by
People's Republic of China
Philippines
Republic of China (Taiwan)
Vietnam

Mischief Reef (Chinese: 美济礁; pinyin: Meiji Jiao; literally: "Meiji Reef"; Tagalog: Panganiban reef; Vietnamese: Đá Vành Khăn) is a reef in the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, located 250 kilometers (or 134.989 nautical miles) west of Palawan Island of the Philippines.

Mischief Reef has been occupied and controlled by the People's Republic of China since 1995, and is claimed by the Republic of China (Taiwan), the Philippines and Vietnam. An artificial island was made on the reef by the Chinese government from 2014 and was completed in 2016. The reef was also the subject of a 2016 tribunal ruling by the International Court of Arbitration, Hague.

The area surrounding it is said to be rich in yet unexplored oil and gas fields.

One source says that Mischief reef was discovered by Henry Spratly in 1791 and was named after the German sailor Heribert Mischief, one of his crew.. Other sources suggest that the reef may have been named after the clipper Mischief that sailed regularly in the South China sea in the 1850s.

Mischief reef is located at 9° 55' N, 115° 32' E. It lies 50 nautical miles east of Union banks. Mischief reef consists of a lagoon and rocks that lie above water at low tide.

In 1994 and 1995, China built initial structures on stilts in the area. The Philippine government protested these actions. However, the Chinese government rejected the protest and said that the structures were shelter for fishermen. In 1999, another wave of protests from Manila occurred when China added more structures to Mischief Reef.