The Philippines has officially rejected China’s recently released 2023 map edition, which reveals Chinese sovereignty in the western Philippine Sea. It also introduces a 10-dash outline of China’s territorial boundaries in South China. Maritime zones have no basis under international laws.

Ma. Teresita Daza, the Foreign Affairs spokesperson, said in his statement, “The Arbitral Award has already invalidated the line.” The South China Sea is encompassed by the nine-dash line and is without lawful effect to that extent.

The latest nation, the Philippines, is criticizing Beijing for its recent national map, which was followed by India and Malaysia. Arunachal Pradesh, an Indian state, is a disputed area between India and Bhutan and is a part of Chinese territory. India’s portrayal of these disputed regions on its official map adds another layer of complexity to these already contentious territorial issues. It underscores the need for peaceful dialogue and diplomatic solutions to address such disputes.

India has previously called for the resolution of border disputes through negotiations and adherence to established agreements. The recent developments may further complicate efforts to find a lasting resolution to these long-standing issues.

Manila had already protested the publication of a Chinese national map in 2013, which also placed parts of the Kalayaan Island Group or Spratlys within Beijing’s “national boundaries.”

New Delhi had, on Tuesday, lodged a strong protest with Beijing through diplomatic channels over the 2023 ‘standard map’ of China that laid claim to India’s territory. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar had dismissed China’s move to reassert its claim.

Taiwan is “absolutely not a part of the People’s Republic of China,” the spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of China, Jeff Liu, said. He rejected the communist country’s new map that showed Taiwan as a part of China.

Notwithstanding strong protests from New Delhi, Hanoi, Manila, and Kuala Lumpur, Beijing on Wednesday defended its new map, calling it an “exercise of sovereignty in accordance with law.”

-Uttara Singh Chauhan