The Philippines has vowed to “respond” to the aggressive claims of China’s extended 10-dash line published earlier this week.
The “standard map” lays claim to about 90 percent of the South China Sea, a strategic shipping lane with rich fishing and unexploited natural resources, which also encompasses the West Philippine Sea.
A 2016 ruling in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea found China’s claims over islands on that body of water did not supersede the “territorial rights” of the Philippines.
The 10-dash line has also been extended to include Taiwan, an island nation of more than 23 million people that Chinese President Xi Jinping believes is part of China.
His views of Taiwan are comparable to his ally Vladimir Putin’s argument for Ukraine that it is not a sovereign country in its own right and belongs to the larger power.
Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said on Friday that they would not take China’s 10-dash line map lightly.
He reaffirmed that the country would continue to defend “our territorial sovereignty, our territorial rights” in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea).
The President also said the government would respond to China’s release of its “map” but did not disclose “operational details”.
“Now, once again, we have received the news that the nine-dash line has been extended to the 10-dash line. We have to respond to all of these and we will,” the President said. “These are operational details that I would prefer not to talk about.”
The President said the Philippines would not relinquish its territorial claims in the West Philippine Sea, adding that the government would remain consistent in asserting its ownership.
“Now, of course, we’ll continue to defend our territorial sovereignty, our territorial rights. We have not changed our approach. It is other countries around us that have changed their approach,” he said.
Every year more than £2.38 trillion ($3 trillion) of international trade passes through the sea, which is claimed in part by Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam, as well as China. All countries affected by the 10-dash line have raised complaints.
Since 2014 Beijing has strengthened its claim to virtually the entire sea by concreting over reefs to build military airports equipped with radar, missiles and aircraft, heightening tensions both in the South China Sea and more widely the IndoPacific.
The latest updated map included Taiwan, the self-governing democratic island that Beijing has always claimed as its own, for the first time.
A spokesman for Taiwan’s foreign ministry, Jeff Liu, said that Taiwan “is absolutely not a part of the People’s Republic of China”.
He added: “No matter how the Chinese government twists its position on Taiwan’s sovereignty, it cannot change the objective fact of our country’s existence.”
China responded by calling for “calm” and urged Taiwan and its neighbours to “refrain from over-interpreting the issue”.
