Philippines rejects China's new map which claims entire South China Sea

China's 2023 version of its "standard map," which claims the nine-dashed line (now a ten-dashed line) in their territory, was rejected by the Philippines. 

On August 28, China unveiled its "standard map" for 2023, which included the country's claims on the nine-dash line and so claimed a significant portion of the South China Sea. The South China Sea is claimed by Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam, and the Philippines.

An official release quoted the Philippines Foreign Ministry as saying, "This latest attempt to legitimize China’s purported sovereignty and jurisdiction over Philippine features and maritime zones has no basis under international law, particularly the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)."

The 2016 Arbitral Award invalidated the nine-dashed line, the statement read, adding that “maritime areas of the South China Sea encompassed by the relevant part of the ‘nine-dash line’ are contrary to the Convention and without lawful effect to the extent that they exceed the geographic and substantive limits of China’s maritime entitlements under the Convention".

The Philippines urged China to take responsibility for its actions and adhere to the UNCLOS and the binding 2016 Arbitral Award. 

On July 12, 2016, the arbitral tribunal decided in the Philippines' favour on the majority of its arguments. According to the United States-China Economic and Security Review Commission, the arbitral tribunal that was deciding the Philippines' case against China in the South China Sea ruled resoundingly in the Philippines' favour, finding that key components of China's claim, such as its nine-dash line, recent land reclamation activities, and other activities in Philippine waters, were illegal.