Four Asian Nations Join India in Rejecting China's Territorial Claims in 'New Map'

As many as four Asian countries have joined India in protesting a new Chinese map that claims India’s territory and maritime areas in the South China Sea, ahead of next week’s Group of 20 summit in New Delhi.

Vietnam was the latest to reject Beijing’s claims based on the “nine-dash line” in the disputed waters. In response to China’s “standard map 2023,” Vietnamese Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Pham Thu Hang reiterated its sovereignty over Paracel and Spratly Islands.

Images aired on Chinese state broadcaster CCTV on Tuesday showed people visiting a map release conference and exhibition in the Chinese capital. Media reports said that Beijing had released an official “standard map” wrongly showing Arunachal Pradesh and Aksai Chin as its territory.

Besides border claims, China has ramped up the development of artificial islands and outfitted some with military facilities and runways. Other Southeast Asian nations have also accused Chinese vessels of harassing their fishing boats.

Countries including the Philippines, Indonesia, and Malaysia, have also rejected the map over expansive claims in the South China Sea. Even Taiwan publicly rejected the claims new map.

India was the first to reject the claims made in the new map on Tuesday. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar dismissed China’s territorial claims. A day later, China urged calm after releasing a new map claiming Indian territory.

Calling the map release a “routine practice in accordance with China’s exercise of sovereignty,” Beijing doubled down on the issue. On Wednesday, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin urged “objectivity” during a news briefing in Beijing.

This row over the new map less than a month after Prime Minister Narendra Modi informally spoke to China’s President Xi on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Johannesburg, where PM Modi highlighted New Delhi’s concerns about unresolved border issues.

The External Affairs Ministry said the two leaders agreed to intensify efforts to de-escalate tension at the border that was sparked by the deadly clash in the Ladakh region three years ago.

(With agency inputs)