Philippines rejects new Chinese ‘10-dash line’ map

The Philippines on Thursday rejected China's publication of a new map that places nearly the entire South China Sea within its national boundaries, infringing on Manila's claims in the resource-rich waters.

In a statement, the Department of Foreign Affairs said the 2023 edition map is China's latest attempt "to legitimize 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 2016 Arbitral Award invalidated the nine-dashed line. It categorically stated 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 China’s maritime entitlements under the Convention,'" the DFA said.

The Philippine government has adopted the name West Philippine Sea to refer to parts of the South China Sea within its territory that are also being claimed by China.

China, the DFA said, should "act responsibly and abide by its obligations under UNCLOS and the final and binding 2016 Arbitral Award."

“We do not even recognize the nine-dash line, much more the 10-dash line,” National Security Adviser Eduardo Año said during the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) press conference on Thursday.

“The arbitral award is final and binding and it gives us our maritime entitlement, our extended economic zone, our territorial waters, and even our extended continental shelf,” he added.

He said that the Philippine government “will do everything in its capacity to ensure that we are protecting our national interest.”

GMA News Online first reported in 2013 that China has released a map by Sinomap, which featured 10-dash lines instead of nine-dash lines to mark a huge swath of the South China Sea in a tongue-shaped encirclement as Chinese territory.

The same 10-dash lines on the South China Sea also appeared in China's 2023 edition of its so-called "standard map" issued by its Ministry of Natural Resources on August 28, 2023. 

Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam have been contesting China's massive claim of the territory.

Nine dashes in the new Chinese map are in the South China Sea and a tenth dash has been placed near Taiwan, purportedly to signify that territory's status as a Chinese province.

China rejected protests over its new map, saying its publication is an exercise of its sovereignty.

"We hope relevant sides can stay objective and calm, and refrain from over-interpreting the issue," Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin said in Beijing.

"It is a routine practice in China’s exercise of sovereignty in accordance with the law," Wang said.

China claims the South China Sea nearly in its entirety, but the tribunal in The Hague invalidated this claim in July 12, 2016 following a case filed by the Philippines in 2013.

Beijing has ignored and belittled the ruling, insisting it has "indisputable" and "historical" claim over nearly the entire waters even as it encroaches on the territories of its smaller neighbors like the Philippines.

Diplomatic protest

At the Senate, opposition Senator Risa Hontiveros urged the DFA to file a diplomatic protest against China for the release of its new official "standard" map.  

In a statement, Hontiveros called China "delusional" and said the new map is "Beijing's desperate attempt to assert its lies and propaganda."

"India has already lodged a protest against China for issuing this ridiculous map. Umaasa ako na ang ating Department of Foreign Affairs ay maghahain din ng diplomatikong protesta laban dito (I am hoping that the DFA will also file a diplomatic protest against this)," she added.

The publication of the Chinese map also drew protests from India and Malaysia.

China's 2023 edition of its standard map, according to Reuters, showed the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh and the Aksai Chin plateau as part of its territory.

In a statement, India's Foreign Ministry said China's claims "have no basis" and thar "such steps by the Chinese side only complicate the resolution of the boundary question."

Malaysia, for its part, said the Chinese map "is in no way binding on Malaysia."

"The map, among other things, shows China's unilateral maritime claims (unilateral act) which skips Malaysian maritime areas in Sabah and Sarawak based on the New Map of Malaysia 1979," its Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

"As the Malaysian Government emphasized in relation to the South China Sea issue previously including the issue of maritime demarcation, Malaysia has consistently rejected the claims of sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction of any foreign party over the maritime features or maritime areas of our country based on the New Map of Malaysia 1979," it added.

"In this context, Malaysia does not recognize China's claims in the South China Sea, as outlined in the 'China Standard Map 2023 Edition' which covers Malaysia's maritime area. The map is in no way binding on Malaysia."  — with Sherylin Untalan/RSJ/VBL, GMA Integrated News