In a display of unwavering solidarity, the Philippines, Malaysia, Taiwan, and Vietnam have categorically dismissed China’s recently unveiled cartographic representation, dismissing it as devoid of substantiated merit. This contentious map, presented by Beijing, purports to assert its dominion, particularly within the South China Sea—an epicenter of discord in one of the globe’s most fiercely contested maritime domains, traversed annually by commerce valued at over $3 trillion.
The Philippines, resolute in its stance, issued a pointed plea to China, beseeching it to uphold international law and honor a 2016 arbitral ruling that explicitly invalidated the legitimacy of the contentious maritime demarcation. The map’s depiction, characterized by its U-shaped delineation, stands bereft of legal foundations. Malaysia, equally steadfast, communicated its disapproval through a diplomatic protest lodged against the map.
China maintains that its U-shaped demarcation aligns with historical cartographical references. Nevertheless, the precise implications of this revised map remain cloaked in ambiguity. The map’s ambit extends as far as 1,500 kilometers south of its Hainan island, encroaching upon the exclusive economic zones (EEZs) of Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, and Indonesia—a confluence of contested claims.
The Philippine Foreign Ministry vehemently disavowed the audacity of China’s maneuver, asserting that this endeavor to legitimize its purported sovereignty over Philippine territories and maritime zones stands devoid of legal grounding under international law.
Concurrently, Malaysia, cognizant of the intricacies of the South China Sea matter, attested that the map holds no authoritative sway over its jurisdiction, characterizing the issue as intricate and delicate.
The map’s magnitude transcends its predecessor—a more circumscribed version presented to the United Nations in 2009, bearing the infamous “nine-dash line.” In its latest iteration, a broader geographical scope is delineated, featuring ten dashes, one of which extends inclusively to Taiwan—an independent, democratically governed entity. This inclusion mirrors the depiction found in a 1948 Chinese map. Notably, China had previously introduced a map with a tenth dash in 2013.
In response, Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Jeff Liu, resolutely repudiated any affiliation with the People’s Republic of China, asserting the unequivocal existence of Taiwan as a sovereign nation.
China’s unveiling of this map coincides with its ongoing “national map awareness publicity week,” as reported by China Central Television. In addressing queries regarding the map’s alteration from nine to ten dashes, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Wang Wenbin, reiterated China’s unambiguous territorial stance, emphasizing the routine release of standard maps by the country’s competent authorities. He implored relevant parties to approach the matter with objectivity and rationality.
In a late Thursday development, Vietnam’s foreign ministry added its voice to the chorus of dissent, underscoring that China’s claims predicated upon this map hold no legal weight and contravene both Vietnamese and international legal frameworks. Vietnam staunchly rejected any assertions originating from China based on the dashed line, firmly rejecting such claims within the South China Sea.
Source reuters
