The Nansha Islands dispute, also known as the Spratly Islands dispute, involving six parties - Chinese mainland, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan - is the most complex one among all territorial disputes. All parties except Brunei actually occupy some of the islands and both China and Vietnam have made claims based on historical sovereignty of the islands.

There are currently already many books discussing this dispute from the perspective of the claiming parties, hydrocarbons, commercial fishing and shipping or extended continental shelf resources, while the book, The South China Sea Disputes: Origin and Development, written by Wu Shicun, president of the Chinese National Institute for South China Sea Studies, which specifically makes the South China Sea an object of study, holds that the complexity of the Nansha dispute mainly lies in the involvement of forces outside the region.

Wu holds that increasing stakes and rising tensions in this dispute are not merely caused by resources being discovered. Instead, we should see this dispute against a broader background. Western colonizers invaded Southeast Asia including the Nansha Islands, and left many historical problems. After the end of World War II, many Southeast Asian countries got rid of colonial rule and made Western aggression an excuse for their claims on the Nansha Islands. The Cold War structure and the confrontation between capitalist and socialist camps caused the Nansha Islands dispute to be one not just of sovereignty and jurisdiction, but also a key factor which can influence regional stability and even the whole international pattern.

Over time, extraterritorial forces' involvement in the dispute has become more direct as the Nansha dispute could be more connected with their interests.

As the most influential extraterritorial force in this dispute, the US has important strategic interests in Southeast Asia. Especially after the 9/11 attacks, the US pivot to this region has enhanced its military intervention ability and control of the South China Sea region.

With the development of right-wing forces and militarism, Japan has exceeded its constitution. This allows Japanese military forces to extend to the South China Sea and complicates the security situation in this region.

India is now a nuclear power and has increasing regional and global influence. It sees Southeast Asia as a breakthrough in its "Look East" policy. Being afraid of China's increasing power in the region and its threat to India's traditional sphere of influence, India wants to preemptively contain China in the South China Sea. 

Wu's analyses on external powers' considerations explain why the complexity of the Nansha Islands dispute is still unchanged even after the signing of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea.

While spending a significant portion analyzing other countries, the book also claims the complex situation China faces is caused by another manifestation of the "China threat theory." Even though the era of confrontation has long gone, a stubborn mind-set still works like a sort of petrified armor around the relevant parties' minds.

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