Asia Pacific Countries Rejects China’s New Standard Map

 

The Philippines joined Malaysia and India in disputing a new Chinese map claiming the waters off the Southeast Asian nations’ coasts, and part of the north-east of India.

China’s Ministry of Natural Resources on Monday (Aug 28) issued the “China Standard Map Edition 2023”, which lays claims over large swathes of the South China Sea also disputed by Malaysia, Vietnam, the Philippines, and Brunei, as well as several land areas in India and Russia.

“The map has no binding effect on Malaysia,” its statement read. “Malaysia is consistent in its position of rejecting any foreign party’s claims to sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction on Malaysia’s maritime features or maritime area based on the 1979 Map,” said the statement, referring to a Malaysian map showing the territorial waters and continental shelf boundaries of Malaysia.

India also lodged a protest ahead of next week’s Group of 20 summit in New Delhi, which Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to attend.

“We reject these claims as they have no basis,” External Affairs Ministry spokesman Arindam Bagchi said in a statement on Tuesday. “Such steps by the Chinese side only complicate the resolution of the boundary question.”