China passports claim ownership of South China Sea and Taiwan
Associated Press in Taipei
guardian.co.uk, Friday 23 November 2012 11.17 GMT
A Chinese passport displaying a map that includes an area in the South China Sea inside a row of dashes, top left, representing maritime territory. Photograph: Reuters
Maps inside new Chinese passports trigger territorial dispute,
with Vietnam demanding Beijing remove 'erroneous content'
China has enraged its neighbours by claiming ownership of the entire South China Sea and Taiwan on a map printed in its newly revised passports.
Inside the documents,
an outline of China printed in the upper left corner includes Taiwan and the sea, hemmed in by dashes. The change highlights China's longstanding claim to the South China Sea in its entirety, though parts of the waters also are claimed by the Philippines, Vietnam, Taiwan, Brunei and Malaysia.
China's official maps have long included Taiwan and the South China Sea as its territory, but reproducing this on passports could be seen as a provocation since it requires other countries to tacitly endorse the claims by affixing their official seals to the documents.
The map was widely condemned in Taiwan, which split from China after a civil war in 1949. Authorities said it could harm the warming ties the historic rivals have enjoyed since Ma Ying-jeou became president more than four years ago.
"This is total ignorance of reality and only provokes disputes," said Taiwan's mainland affairs council, the cabinet-level body responsible for ties with Beijing. The council said the government would not accept the map.
The
Philippine foreign secretary, Albert del Rosario, told reporters in Manila he had sent a note to the Chinese embassy indicating that his country "strongly protests" against the image. He said China's claims included an area that is "clearly part of the Philippines' territory and maritime domain".
The
Vietnamese government said it had also sent a diplomatic note to the Chinese embassy in Hanoi that called on Beijing to remove the "erroneous content" printed in the passport.
In Beijing, the foreign ministry said the passport was based on international standards. China began issuing new versions to include electronic chips on 15 May; however, criticism arose only this week, it added. "The outline map of China on the passport is not directed against any particular country," said a ministry spokeswoman, Hua Chunying.
A Vietnamese foreign ministry spokesman, Luong Thanh Nghi, said:
"Vietnam reserves the right to carry out necessary measures suitable to Vietnamese law, international law and practices toward such passports."
Taiwan does not recognise China's passports, and visitors to the island must have special travel documents.
China maintains it has ancient claims to all of the South China Sea, despite much of it being within the exclusive economic zones of its south-east Asian neighbours. The islands and waters are potentially rich in oil and gas.
There are concerns that the disputes could escalate into violence. China and the Philippines had a tense maritime standoff at a shoal west of the main Philippine island of Luzon early this year.
The US, which has said it takes no sides in the territorial spats but considers ensuring safe maritime traffic in the waters to be in its national interest, has backed a call for a "code of conduct" to prevent clashes in the disputed territories. But it remains unclear if China is prepared to draft such a legally binding non-aggression pact with rival claimants.
The Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia and Vietnam are due to meet next month to discuss South China Sea claims and the role of China.
