China issued a map earlier this week outlining its sovereignty claims in the South China Sea. Beijing said on Thursday, August 31, that the image should be examined logically and objectively.
However, the Philippines, Malaysia, Taiwan, and Vietnam have all turned down the map as groundless.
In a report by Reuters, China issued a map showing its controversial U-shaped line encompassing about 90% of the South China Sea on Monday, August 28. The area is a hotspot for conflicts in one of the world's most contentious waterways through which more than $3 trillion in annual commerce flows.
Reactions From Neighboring Countries
On Thursday, the Philippines urged China to behave responsibly and honor its obligations under international law and a 2016 arbitral judgment that found no legal basis for the line. Meanwhile, it has been reported that Malaysia has lodged a diplomatic complaint about the map.
China claims its ancient maps serve as the basis for the border. It is unclear whether or not the newest map indicates a claim to more land.
The U-shaped line gets into the exclusive economic zones (EEZs) of Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, and Indonesia and stretches as far south as 1,500 kilometers (932 miles) from China's Hainan island.
"This latest attempt to legitimize China's purported sovereignty and jurisdiction over Philippine features and maritime zones has no basis under international law," the Philippine Foreign Ministry stated, as reported by local media Philstar.
The Malaysian Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying the new map has no binding power over Malaysia and that the country sees the South China Sea as a complicated and sensitive issue.
When asked about the new map, Taiwan's Foreign Ministry spokesman Jeff Liu insisted that Taiwan was "absolutely not a part of the People's Republic of China."
Vietnam's foreign ministry stated late Thursday that China's map-based claims are invalid and illegal under Vietnamese and international law. According to a statement released by Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Pham Thu Hang, Vietnam "resolutely opposes all China's claims in the South China Sea based on the dotted line," which refers to the South China Sea, Bloomberg reported.
Controversial South China Sea Map
China's new map is different from the one it submitted to the United Nations in 2009. The previous map was smaller and did not contain the so-called "nine-dash line" in the South China Sea.
The most recent map included a larger region than the one from 1948 and included democratic Taiwan by means of a line with ten dashes. In 2013, China also released a map that had a ten-dash subdivision.
China Central Television stated on Tuesday, August 29, that a national map awareness publicity week was underway across the country.
