四是最早开发利用：中国人民长期以来一直在南海诸岛及海域从事捕捞、种植和其他生产活动，许多岛礁上都曾留下中国渔民生产生活的遗迹。英国海军部测绘局1868年编制的《中国海指南》一书中就明确记录了南沙群岛仅有中国人生产、生活的事实。

Fourth, China is also the first country to develop the islands in the South China Sea. For centuries, the Chinese have been engaged in fishing, planting and other activities on the islands and in the nearby waters. The remains of this continuous habitation can be seen through archaeological evidence found on many islands. The fact that only Chinese lived on the Nansha islands is recorded clearly in the book called The China Sea Pilot published by the British Navy in 1868.

以上四个"最早"均有充分史实作为支撑，这说明中国在历史上早已将南海诸岛并入中国版图并持续和平有效行使管辖。事实上，直到20世纪70年代之前，南海诸岛属于中国是国际社会普遍认知。举两个典型的例子：1883年，德国曾派军舰到西沙、南沙群岛附近进行测量，清朝广东地方政府以主权为依据提出抗议，德国被迫停止测量活动并撤走；1958年，中国政府发表关于领海的声明，并宣布声明中的规定适用于包括西沙、南沙等南海诸岛在内的所有中国领土，时任越南政府总理范文同就此专门照会时任中国国务院总理周恩来，明确承认西沙和南沙群岛属于中国。类似这样的例子还有很多。

The aforementioned four "Firsts" are based on substantial and concrete historical evidence. They testify to the fact that the islands of the South China Sea have long been Chinese territory under successive, peaceful and effective administration. Until the 1970s, it was widely recognised by the international community that islands in the South China Sea belonged to China. Let me give you two examples: In 1883, Germany sent military vessels to Xisha and Nansha for surveys. The Government of Guangdong Province protested to the Germans, citing Chinese sovereignty. Germany had to stop the survey and withdrew their team. In 1958, the Chinese government issued a declaration on territorial waters applicable to all Chinese territory including Xisha, Nansha and other islands in the South China Sea. Vietnam's then prime minister, Ph?m V?n ??ng, sent to Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai a diplomatic note which explicitly recognizes that Xisha and Nansha belonged to China. I could give you more examples like these if we had more time.

既然南海诸岛属于中国是无可争辩的历史事实，那么南海争端又是怎样产生的？

History speaks for itself as to who owns those islands in the South China Sea. Then how did the disputes arise?