Three days after India, four more countries have slammed China for publishing a map showing their territories as its own. On Tuesday evening (29 August), India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) hit back at China hours after it had released the 2023 edition of its territorial map as per its imagination. In regard to media queries regarding China’s bizarre claims, the MEA issued an official statement rejecting the so-called 2023 “standard map” of China.
Now, the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia, and Vietnam have joined India in rejecting the “standard map” released by China showing territories of these countries as its own. Vietnam reportedly said that the map violates its sovereignty over the Spratly and Paracel Islands and jurisdiction over its waters.
A spokesperson for Vietnam’s foreign affairs ministry, Pham Thu Hang, said in a statement on the government’s website that “Vietnam resolutely opposes all China’s claims in the South China Sea based on the dotted line.” The Philippines too has issued a strong statement on the issue.
“This latest attempt to legitimize China’s purported sovereignty and jurisdiction over Philippine features and maritime zones has no basis under international law, particularly the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS),” a statement by the Philippines government read.
China released the latest version of its imaginary territorial map in which it claimed the Indian territories such as Arunachal Pradesh and parts of Ladakh (Aksai Chin region) as its own. Apart from Indian territories, China also included Taiwan and the contentious 9-dash line in the South China Sea but this time it expanded the same to 10-dash line extending its claim further into the South China Sea; much of this area includes the West Philippines Sea.
The official Philippines News Agency quoted Foreign Affairs spokesperson Ma. Teresita Daza saying, “(the 2016 Arbitral Award) categorically stated that ‘maritime areas of the South China Sea encompassed by the relevant part of the ‘nine-dash line’ are contrary to the Convention and without lawful effect to the extent that they exceed the geographic and substantive limits of China’s maritime entitlements under the Convention.”
Malaysia and Taiwan too came out criticising China’s aggressive expansionist display. Malaysia reportedly said it will send a protest note to China. “This has been our practice (when dealing with issues like this)…and based on the statement issued by Wisma Putra (foreign ministry) yesterday, the next step includes sending a protest note,” the Bernama news agency quoted Foreign minister Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir.
Taiwan said it has never been ruled by the People’s Republic of China. “Taiwan, the Republic of China, is a sovereign and independent country that is not subordinate to the People’s Republic of China (PRC). The PRC has never ruled Taiwan. These are universally recognised facts and the status quo in the international community,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Jeff Liu told Taiwan News.
The controversy came to light when the mouthpiece of the Chinese government, The Global Times carried a post. In the post, it stated that the Ministry of Natural Resources launched China’s latest ‘standard map’ on its website on 28th August. This is marked as the latest edition of the ‘standard map’ of the country.
It is notable here that Chinese President Xi Jinping just recently met PM Modi during the BRICS Summit in Johannesburg, asserting that the two nations should hold comprehensive talks to ease border tensions. Against the backdrop of that discussion, and just days before the G20 Summit, China’s belligerent behavior in claiming Indian territories as its own displays a lack of sincerity on its part to resolve tensions at the LAC.
