THE Philippines dismissed the updated China Standard Map which has now the “10-dashed line” that covers the eastern part of Taiwan and most of the West Philippine Sea, saying “it has no basis under international law.”

This prompted the Philippines to call on Beijing to act responsibly and abide by its obligations under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the 2016 Arbitral Award.

In a statement, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said “the Philippines rejects the 2023 version of China’s Standard Map issued by the Ministry of Natural Resources of the People’s Republic of China on August 28, 2023 because of its inclusion of the nine-dashed line (now a ten-dashed line) that supposedly shows China’s boundaries in the South China Sea.”

Beijing, which claims almost the entire South China Sea, has rejected the Arbitral Award that invalidated its expansive nine-dash line claims.

Several countries have rejected China’s claims, including India which lodged protest against the map showing the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh and the Aksai Chin plateau as part of Beijing’s official territory, according to a Reuters report.

Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin said the Ministry of Natural Resources of China released the 2023 edition of the standard map as a routine practice in China’s exercise of sovereignty “in accordance with the law.”

“We hope relevant sides can stay objective and calm and refrain from over-interpreting the issue,” Wang added.

AUTHOR PROFILE

Cristina Lee-Pisco