France held them between 1933 and 1939. During World War II Japanoccupied the archipelago and developed it as a submarine base. After the war the Chinese Nationalist government established a garrison on Itu Aba, which the Nationalists maintained after their exile to Taiwan in 1949. When Japan renounced its claim to the islands in 1951, Taiwan, mainland China, and Vietnamall declared themselves the rightful owners, and the Philippines added a claim based on proximity in 1955.
