Governments of the Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Taiwan joined India on Thursday in denouncing Chinas new national map and accused Beijing of coveting their land in stern declarations.To address what Beijing has previously referred to as problematic maps that it alleges distort its territorial borders, China released a revised edition of its national map on Monday.On Tuesday, India strongly objected to Chinas so-called standard map that claimed Arunachal Pradesh and the Aksai Chin region, saying that such actions simply made the border dispute more difficult to resolve.Chinas assertions were likewise denied by the Ministry of External Affairs as having no basis.It is to be noted here that China, on August 28, released the 2023 edition of its standard map, incorporating the countrys claims over the nine-dash line, thereby laying claim to a large part of the South China Sea. Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Brunei have all claims over the South China Sea areas.An official release quoted the Philippines Foreign Ministry as saying, “This latest attempt to legitimize Chinas purported sovereignty and jurisdiction over Philippine features and maritime zones has no basis under international law, particularly the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).”‼️READ‼️ #DFAStatement: Philippine Statement on the 2023 Version of Chinas Standard MapAlso found in this link 👉🏻 https://t.co/eVz44B7YeU#DFAForgingAhead pic.twitter.com/243mdX4Tzv— DFA Philippines 🇵🇭 (@DFAPHL) August 31, 2023The statement further adds, “The 2016 Arbitral Award invalidated the nine-dashed line, the statement read, adding that “maritime areas of the South China Sea encompassed by the relevant part of the nine-dash line are contrary to the Convention and without lawful effect to the extent that they exceed the geographic and substantive limits of Chinas maritime entitlements under the Convention”.Indias External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar also dismissed Beijings absurd claims and said that putting out a map does not mean anything. He also said “It is an “old habit” of China to stake claim on territories that do not belong to them.”
