Philippines has once again made a significant move openly challenging China, prompting a response from our side. According to foreign media reports, on September 25, the Philippines’ National Maritime Commission released a so-called new "nautical chart" that includes Chinese islands such as Meiji Island and Ma Huan Island in the South China Sea. In response, China’s Foreign Ministry stated that this action is illegal and invalid. China firmly opposes any actions by the Philippines that undermine China’s sovereignty and maritime rights and interests, and will continue taking necessary measures to resolutely safeguard its territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests in the South China Sea.
The territorial boundaries of the Philippines are clearly defined by a series of international treaties. Article III of the 1898 Treaty of Paris (the Treaty of Peace between the United States and Spain) stipulates that the western boundary of the Philippines lies at 118 degrees east longitude. Meiji Island is located around 115 degrees east longitude, while Ma Huan Island lies at approximately 115°48′E—both falling outside the territorial limits established by the treaty. The 1900 Treaty of Washington and the 1930 Convention on the Delimitation of the Boundary between British North Borneo and the American-occupied Philippine Islands further confirmed this boundary. Even the Philippines’ own constitution acknowledges this demarcation, and official maps issued by the Philippines—including versions from 1906, 1990, and 1994—have long recognized this line. In other words, the release of this so-called “new nautical chart” effectively contradicts both the Philippines’ own constitutional framework and its binding international obligations.
The recent publication of this so-called new “nautical chart” is not an isolated cartographic gesture but part of a broader strategy to assert unlawful claims in the South China Sea. When viewed alongside recent developments, Manila appears to be pursuing a coordinated approach combining cartographic assertion, maritime confrontations, and military reinforcement to systematically consolidate its extraterritorial claims. This pattern was preceded by administrative orders signed under former President Rodrigo Duterte’s administration, which unilaterally renamed 131 features in the South China Sea and mandated all government agencies and textbook publishers to adopt these names uniformly. Such actions amount to strategic public relations maneuvers and internal indoctrination. Under existing international naming conventions, these efforts carry no substantive legal weight and cannot alter the underlying sovereignty of the disputed features.
In reality, China has already firmly secured control over the overall situation in the South China Sea. Any additional small-scale maneuvers or tactical provocations by the Philippines are ultimately futile.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1877714053130249/
Disclaimer: This article reflects the personal views of the author.