China’s latest published map shows its claim over the South China Sea by
marking ten dash lines around the region just off the coasts of Vietnam,
Malaysia, Brunei, and the Philippines’ islands of Palawan and Luzon. China
Daily/ANN
China’s latest published map shows its claim over the South China Sea by
marking 10 dash lines around the region
China has published a new map of the entire country
including the islands in the South China Sea (West Philippine Sea) in order to
“better show” its territorial claim over the region.
The government-run Xinhua news agency of China
published photos of the map made by Hunan Map Publishing House and said in the
caption “Islands in South China Sea share the same scale with mainland and are
better shown than traditional maps”.
The map shows China’s claim over the South China Sea
by marking ten dash lines around the region just off the coasts of Vietnam,
Malaysia, Brunei, and the Philippines’ islands of Palawan and Luzon.
China’s claim over the region, believed to be rich in
oil and natural gas and a vital shipping route, has been challenged by the
Philippines before the International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea (Itlos).
Several reclamation activities on reefs in the Spratly
Islands are being conducted by China as shown by a series of aerial photographs
of Mabini reef (Johnson South Reef) released by the Department of Foreign
Affairs (DFA).
The reclamation is regarded as China’s way of
furthering its “expansionist agenda” in the region, Foreign Affairs Secretary
Albert del Rosario said in previous media interviews.
Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonio Carpio
debunked China’s historical claims in public lectures saying that “There is not
a single ancient map, whether made by Chinese or foreigners, showing that the
Spratlys and Scarborough Shoal were ever part of Chinese territory.”
“China’s so-called historical facts to justify its
nine-dash line are glaringly inconsistent with actual historical facts, based
on China’s own historical maps, constitutions and official pronouncements,”
Carpio said.
China remains in control of large parts of the South
China Sea and Chinese maritime security vessels have repeatedly used water
cannons to drive away Filipino fishermen from Scarborough Shoal and from areas
in the Spratly Islands.
Matikas Santos
Business & Investment Opportunities
Saigon Business Corporation Pte Ltd (SBC) is incorporated
in Singapore since 1994.
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