新的中國地圖再次遭到反對，這次是來自馬尼拉

Recently Yahoo News on-line reported the following:

New China Map Draws Another Rejection, This Time from Manila

Cliff Venzon

Thu, August 31, 2023 at 1:42 a.m. PDT

(Bloomberg) -- The Philippines doesn’t recognize Beijing’s latest standard map showing its expansive South China Sea claims, joining opposition from India and Malaysia.

“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 Philippines’ foreign affairs department said in a statement on Thursday.

The Philippines’ rejection followed a similar move by Malaysia on Wednesday, with the latter refusing to recognize China’s unilateral claims including over waters in Sabah and Sarawak. India also lodged a diplomatic protest with Beijing over the map which it said shows China claiming Indian territory in the Himalayas.

Brunei, Vietnam and Taiwan also have claims in the South China Sea, apart from Malaysia and the Philippines.

Responding to the Philippines’ latest move, China said it releases different standard maps as part of an annual routine “to educate the public” in using maps according to rules. “We hope that relevant sides can see that in an objective and rational way,” Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Wang Wenbin said at a regular briefing in Beijing on Thursday.

Manila called on Beijing “to act responsibly” and abide by its obligations under UNCLOS and the 2016 international arbitral award which invalidated China’s nine-dashed line. Beijing’s representation on the maritime map effectively claims almost all of South China Sea as its territory.

In rejecting China’s latest map, the Philippines’ Department of Foreign Affairs cited the seven-year-old arbitral decision stating that Beijing’s sea claims are “without lawful effect” and “contrary” to the convention. Tensions between the two nations have recently heightened following encounters in contested waters, with Manila protesting earlier this month the use of water cannons on its ships.

--With assistance from Andreo Calonzo and Allen Wan.

Translation

（彭博社）- 菲律賓不承認北京最新的標準地圖，該地圖顯示了其廣泛的南海主權主張，加入了印度和馬來西亞的反對行列。

菲律賓外交部在週四發表的一份聲明中表示， “中國最新近的試圖使中國對菲律賓島礁和海域的主權和管轄權合法化，這在國際法，特別是1982 年《聯合國海洋法公約》（UNCLOS）中沒有任何依據。”

菲律賓的反對是在馬來西亞週三采取類似行動之後做出的，後者拒絕承認中國的單方面主張，包括對沙巴和砂拉越水域的主權主張。 印度還就該地圖向北京提出外交抗議，稱該地圖顯示中國聲稱對喜馬拉雅山脈的印度領土擁有主權。

除了馬來西亞和菲律賓之外，文萊、越南和台灣也對南海提出了主權聲索。

針對菲律賓的最新舉動，中國表示，作為年度例行工作的一部分，發布不同的標準地圖， “教育公眾” 按規定使用地圖。外交部發言人汪文斌週四在北京舉行的例行吹風會上表示: “我們希望有關方面客觀理性看待這一問題” 。

馬尼拉呼籲北京 “採取負責任的行動” ，遵守《聯合國海洋法公約》和2016年國際仲裁裁決所規定的義務，該裁決使中國的九段線無效。 北京在海洋地圖上的標記實際上聲稱幾乎整個南中國海都是其領土。

菲律賓外交部在反駁中國最新地圖時, 援引了七年前的仲裁裁決中稱北京的海洋主張 “沒有法律效力” 並且 “違反” 公約。馬尼拉本月早些時候抗議中國向在其船隻上使用高壓水槍, 在有爭議的水域發生衝突，之後最近兩國之間的緊張關係加劇。

So, the Philippines doesn’t recognize Beijing’s latest standard map that shows its expansive South China Sea claims, joining opposition from India and Malaysia. I cannot see any chance that the relation between the Philippines and China could improve.