‘Act responsibly': Philippines rejects China’s ‘2023’ map showing 10-dash line
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines on Thursday objected to China's new territorial map and described it as Beijing’s latest attempt to legitimize its extended claims in the South China Sea.
China on Monday released a “2023 version” of its “standard map” that illustrates its claims of ownership over swaths of the South China Sea as well as overlaps with the territories of India, Malaysia and Taiwan.
In a statement, the Department of Foreign Affairs said it rejects the map due to the “inclusion of the nine-dashed line (now a ten-dashed line) that supposedly shows China’s boundaries in the South China Sea.”
“This latest attempt to legitimize China’s 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),” the DFA said.
The DFA maintains that the 2016 tribunal ruling that invalidated Beijing’s claims over parts of the South China had categorically stated that Beijing’s “nine-dash line” was “without lawful effect to the extent that they exceed the geographic and substantive limits of China’s maritime entitlements under the Convention.”
“The Philippines, therefore, calls on China to act responsibly and abide by its obligations under UNCLOS and the final and binding 2016 Arbitral Award,” the DFA said.
The Permanent Court of Arbitration under the United Nations ruled in 2016 that China's nine-dash line claim over the disputed waters is invalid. Since then, the arbitral ruling has been repeatedly invoked by the Philippines and other nations with overlapping claims in response to Chinese maritime aggression. Beijing has largely dismissed the international ruling, claiming it has no legal basis. — Cristina Chi
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