China's Ministry Of Foreign Affairs Asks For An Excessive New Map

JAKARTA - Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin expressed his hope that each party would not overestimate the country's new map.

"We hope that the relevant parties can remain objective and calm, and refrain from interpreting this issue excessively," said Wang Wenbin as quoted by ANTARA, Wednesday, August 30.

China's Ministry of Natural Resources released the map in conjunction with China's National Mapping Awareness Week and Survey and Mapping Publicity Day, the 2023 Standard Map, on Tuesday (29/8). The contents of the map claim territory in India, Malaysian waters, to be close to Indonesia.

The map covers disputed areas with neighboring countries including claims from the Arunachal Pradesh and Aksai Chin regions in India, Taiwan, to the South China Sea.

"On August 28, China's Ministry of Natural Resources released a standard map for the 2023 edition. This is a routine practice in implementing Chinese sovereignty in accordance with the law," Wang added.

Responding to the launch of this new map, India's Foreign Ministry spokesman Arindam Bagchi said it had filed strong protests through diplomatic channels.

The source of tension between the two neighboring countries is a 3,440 km long border dispute along the Himalayan that has no clear limits.

The presence of rivers, lakes, and snow stretch allows the line to move in several places.

The latest Chinese map is said to cover parts of Malaysia's economic exclusive zone (EEZ) maritime area near Sabah and Sarawak, Brunei, Philippines, Indonesia, and Vietnam.

According to the International Marine Law Convention, in these territorial waters, the state has the right to explore and exploit, conservation and management of biological and non-hayaty natural resources.