Indonesia turns fifth nation to question China's map after Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia

Indonesia's Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi on Thursday, August 31 questioned China's unilaterally drafted official 'standard map' that shows sovereign Indian territories as its own. Beijing's official Standard Map Edition 2023 depicts Aksai Chin plateau as part of Hotan County and Indian state of Arunachal Presh within Chinese territory as part of Tibet.  map also lays sovereign claims in contentious South China Sea near sourn region comprising Indonesia’s Natuna Islands.

Indonesian Foreign Minister Marsudi insisted that China must release  map marking its territorial lines strictly in accordance with  UN Convention on Law of Sea 1982 (UNCLOS 1982). China's distorted map, which has sparked a furore among neighbouring countries, depicts Malaysian waters and some of  regions that fall under sovereign control of Indonesia as its own. Apart from projecting Aksai China plateau in Western Himalayas as Chinese territory, map also renamed at least 11 places in Arunachal Presh state that it shows fall in “Zangnan” or sourn Tibet in Chinese.

 littoral states in disputed South China Sea protest China's so-called nine-dashed line in maritime region that consists of 12 per cent of world’s total fish and felicitates approximately one-third of all global maritime tre.

In its new map China, for first time, has included  10th dash as its ‘International Border.' This includes  exclusive economic zones (EEZ) of or coastal states such as Philippines. updated version of map shows China's version of its sovereign territories forming a U shape that includes entire South China Sea, Taiwan, EEZ Philippines near Sabah and Sarawak, Malaysia, Brunei, Vietnam, and Indonesia.

China's new '10-dash' line map. Credit: China's Ministry of Natural Resources. 

Chinese fishing trawlers and boats regularly traverse contested South China Sea to exploit natural resources off ir shores, like fish or natural gas, sparking anger among smaller island nations of Vietnam, Philippines and Malaysia. On Friday, Indonesian Foreign Minister Marsudi said that Jakarta will lodge a protest against China about its claim on South China Sea as outlined in new map published by Ministry of Natural Resources of China. 

"Any drawing of lines, any claims me must be in accordance with UNCLOS 1982," Marsudi reportedly said, after a working meeting with Commission I of DPR RI at Parlemen Complex, Senayan, Jakarta. 

Foreign Minister of Indonesia reiterated that Indonesia has always consistently held its positions about its sovereign claims. "Indonesia's position is not a new position, but a position that has always been presented consistently," said Marsudi. Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin meanwhile a day earlier said that he hopes that countries will not "over-interpret  new map." 

"We hope that relevant parties can remain objective and calm, and refrain from interpreting this problem excessively," said Wang Wenbin in a statement. 

China's structure on man-me Fiery Cross Reef on disputed Spartleys Islands. Credit: AP

'We reject se claims as y have no basis': India's FM spokesperson

India’s foreign ministry spokesman Arindam Bagchi said in a statement slammed distorted representation of areas on China's map. "We have today lodged a strong protest through diplomatic channels with Chinese side on so-called 2023 ‘standard map’ of China that lays claim to India’s territory," Bagchi stated. “We reject se claims as y have no basis. Such steps by Chinese side only complicate resolution of boundary question,” he went on to d.

China's delusional map was also criticised by Filipino Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Ma. Teresita Daza. "This latest attempt to legitimise China’s purported sovereignty and jurisdiction over Philippine features and maritime zones has no basis under international law, particularly 1982 United Nations Convention on Law of Sea (UNCLOS)," said Daza.

Maritime areas of South China Sea "encompassed by relevant part of ‘nine-dash line’ are contrary to Convention and without lawful effect to extent that y exceed geographic and substantive limits of China’s maritime entitlements under Convention,” she ded. Philippines, refore," calls on China to act responsibly and abide by its obligations under UNCLOS and final and binding 2016 Arbitral Award." 

Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, meanwhile voiced its "consistent stance" on sovereignty over Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly). It resolutely rejected "any maritime claims of China that are based on nine-dash line in East Sea." Malaysian Foreign Minister Dr Zambry Abdul Kir also slammed China's geopolitical shams, saying that this has been "our practice (when dealing with issues like this)... and based on statement issued by Wisma Putra yesterday, next step includes sending a protest note." Spokesperson of Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Jeff Liu, asserted that island nation is a "sovereign and independent country that is not subordinate to People's Republic of China."

On Thursday, militaries of Indonesia and five or nations began annual training exercises on Indonesia’s main island of Java led by US military in a defiance posture against People's Republic of China. latter sees drills as a regional threat and has compared US alliances in Indi-Pacific to NATO.