Taiwan and Malaysia reject China’s latest South China Sea map
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Taiwan and Malaysia reject China’s latest South China Sea map
Subject: IR
Section: Places in news
Context: China released the 2023 edition of its so-called “standard map” incorporating disputed areas and including its claims over Arunachal Pradesh and the Aksai Chin region along with South China Sea.
More about the news:
- China released the 2023 edition of its standard map based on the drawing method of national boundaries of China and various countries in the world.
- The map showed Arunachal Pradesh, which China claims as South Tibet, and Aksai Chin occupied by it in the 1962 war.
- The map also incorporated Taiwan, which China claims as part of its territory though the island sees itself as a sovereign nation, and the nine-dash line, claiming a large part of the South China Sea.
- China’s U-shaped line loops as far as 1,500 km south of its Hainan island and cuts into the exclusive economic zones of Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia.
What is Exclusive Economic Zone:
- Under the Law of the Sea Convention, all states have a right to 200 nautical mile Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) to exploit the resources of the sea and seabed, as measured from their land territories. Where these zones overlap, countries are obliged to negotiate with other claimants.
More about the South China Sea.
- The South China Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean.
- The South China Sea is connected by Taiwan Strait with the East China Sea and by Luzon Strait with the Philippine Sea.
- Bordering states & territories (clockwise from north): the People’s Republic of China, the Republic of China (Taiwan), the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia, Singapore and Vietnam.
- The Gulf of Thailand and the Gulf of Tonkin are also part of the South China Sea.
- Contesting Claims Over Islands:
- The Paracel Islands are claimed by China, Taiwan and Vietnam.
- The Spratly Islands are claimed by China, Taiwan, Malaysia, Vietnam, Brunei and Philippines.
- The Scarborough Shoal is claimed by the Philippines, China and Taiwan.
