Malaysia has joined India in protesting against China’s claims over disputed territories staked in its newly published map, while Indonesia says it is seeking more details on the issue through its embassy in Beijing.
China’s Ministry of Natural Resources on Monday (Aug 28) issued the “China Standard Map Edition 2023”, which lays claim over the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) maritime areas of Malaysia near Borneo states Sabah and Sarawak, Brunei, the Philippines, Indonesia, and Vietnam, as well as several land areas in India.
It now features a “10-dash” line – with an additional dash to the east of Taiwan – a break from the usual nine-dash line Beijing has been using in recent years to stake its claims over large swathes of the South China Sea.
The map was released just before Malaysia was due to celebrate its Independence Day – or Hari Merdeka – on Thursday.
In response, Malaysia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday said it does not recognise China’s claims in the South China Sea, adding that the map holds no binding authority over Malaysia.
“The map, among other things, displays China’s unilateral maritime claims that encroach upon Malaysia’s maritime areas in Sabah and Sarawak, based on the 1979 Malaysia New Map,” it was quoted as saying by Bernama.
The ministry stressed that Malaysia consistently rejects any foreign party’s claims to sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction over maritime features or maritime areas based on the 1979 Malaysia New Map.
“Malaysia also views the South China Sea issue as a complex and sensitive matter,” it reportedly said.
It also underscored the need for the issue to be managed peacefully and rationally through dialogue and negotiations based on provisions of international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS 1982).
“Malaysia remains committed to cooperating to ensure all parties implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea comprehensively and effectively,” said Malaysia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“Malaysia is also committed to the effective and substantive negotiations on the Code of Conduct (COC) in the South China Sea, with the goal of finalising the COC as soon as possible.”
Indian authorities had on Tuesday issued a “strong protest” to China, according to Agence France-Presse (AFP).
China’s new map reportedly claims ownership over land that New Delhi says is theirs, including territory close to where the neighbours battled in 2020.
“We have today lodged a strong protest through diplomatic channels with the Chinese side on the so-called 2023 ‘standard map’ of China that lays claim to India’s territory,” India’s foreign ministry spokesman Arindam Bagchi reportedly said in a statement.
“We reject these claims as they have no basis. Such steps by the Chinese side only complicate the resolution of the boundary question.”
-Agencies
