Retired Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonio Carpio on Wednesday denounced the brand new official “standard” map launched by China, which confirmed its prolonged claims within the South China Sea (SCS).
Carpio stated the 2023 model of the map issued throughout Beijing’s annual National Surveying and Mapping Promotion Day, now has a ten-dash line from the earlier 9, masking the areas Beijing thought of as a part of its territory.
“So kinlaro nila that the lines in the South China Sea, whether nine or ten, constitute their national boundary. So if it’s your national boundary, everything within that is your national territory. Klaro ngayon, they clarified it that way,” stated Carpio in JP Soriano’s report on “24 Oras”.
(They are actually clarifying the SCS, whether or not 9 or ten, represent their nationwide boundary. So if it’s your nationwide boundary, every thing inside that’s your nationwide territory.)
“I think the intention is to say that Taiwan is part of China,” Carpio added.
Beijing claims sovereignty over nearly all the South China Sea, together with the West Philippine Sea (WPS) because it ignores a global ruling that invalidates its huge claims.
Senator Francis Tolentino decried Beijing’s claims, saying: “The latest map of the People’s Republic of China is no longer nine-dash line, it is ten-dash line. Sampu na po yung guhit hanggang doon sana Taiwan Strait, mahaba na masyado.”
“So iba na —with all due respect, hindi na pinag-uusapan ‘yung nine-dash line, ten-dash line na,” Tolentino added.
(With all due respect, we’re now speaking about ten sprint and never nine-dash line.)
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) stated Beijing ought to respect the 2016 arbitral ruling awarded to the Philippines.
“They should respect the 2016 arbitral ruling na kung saan sinabi na itong nine-dash line is illegal. It has no basis and that they should, in fact, follow the rules-based international order,” AFP chief General Romeo Brawner stated.
GMA Integrated News sought the remark of the Chinese Embassy nevertheless it has but to reply.
For their half, the National Security Council (NSC) and the National Task Force on the West Philippine Sea stated they’re now asking the Chinese authorities to make clear the map.
“If the map is officially confirmed to have been issued by People’s Republic of China then the NSC will recommend to the DFA the issuance of a strong diplomatic protest over the issuance of this map because this infringes upon the sovereignty the sovereign rights and the territorial integrity of the Philippines,” said NSC Assistant Director-General Jonathan Malaya.
Carpio said the Chinese map would not change the ruling of the Hague-based court.
“This new map cannot change a period, comas or a single letter or number of the arbitral award. The Arbitral Award is there and cannot be changed by this map,” he stated.
Several international locations have rejected China’s claims together with India which filed a “strong protest” towards the map exhibiting the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh and the Aksai Chin plateau as a part of Beijing’s official territory, in keeping with a Reuters report.—Sundy Locus/LDF, GMA Integrated News
Source: www.gmanetwork.com
