'No matter how Chinese government twists…': After India, five other nations slam China over ‘standard map’ row
China released the 2023 edition of its 'standard map' on August 28, showing India's Arunachal Pradesh and Aksai Chin as part of its territory. The map also shows China's claims in the South China Sea over the exclusive maritime zones of countries such as Malaysia, Brunei, the Philippines, Indonesia and Vietnam.
The Chinese standard map has now been widely criticised by a number of countries, including Indonesia, Vietnam and Taiwan. Indonesia's foreign minister Retno Marsudi while commenting on the newly published ‘Standard Map’ asked China to respect international law.
She noted that drawing of any territorial lines or claims must be in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. The Philippines has also rejected the standard map which shows the ten-dashed line in their territory.
Philippines Foreign Ministry in a statement said, "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)." Additionally, Malaysia's foreign ministry said that it had lodged a formal complaint with China. Malaysian foreign minister also said in a statement that the new map holds no binding authority over the country while calling the South China Sea ‘a complex and sensitive matter’ Moreover, Taiwan's Foreign Ministry strong rejected the idea that the island nation is a part of China.
Jeff Liu, spokesperson for the Taiwan Foreign Ministry spokesperson noted that "Taiwan was absolutely not a part of the People's Republic of China". "No matter how the Chinese government twists its position on Taiwan's sovereignty, it cannot change the
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