MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said on Friday that visa processing for Chinese tourists who carry the new e-passport that include a map of the disputed islands in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) will continue its normal course.
This came after the Philippines sent a note verbale to the Chinese Embassy in Manila earlier this week to protest Beijing’s decision to put its South China Sea territorial claims on maps printed inside new Chinese passports.
The Chinese embassy in Manila told Manila Bulletin that it will respond to the note verbale after consultations are made with the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Ministry.
According to Chinese embassy spokesman Hua Zhang, the map showing the nine dash line has been there since 1947 and added that the new e-passport with the said map has also been there for quite sometime.
“The Philippines strongly protests the inclusion of the nine-dash lines in the e-passport as such image covers an area that is clearly part of the Philippines’ territory and maritime domain,” Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario said in Manila’s note verbale.
“The Philippines does not accept the validity of the nine-dash lines that amount to an excessive declaration of maritime space in violation of international law,” Del Rosario said, adding, “The Philippines demands that China respect the territory and maritime domain of the Philippines.”
In a separate statement, Foreign Affairs Secretary Raul Hernandez said China’s e-passports signify China’s “acquiescence to their claim… which we believe is excessive and is in violation of our territorial sovereignty.
“We are asking China to respect our territorial sovereignty our exclusive economic zone and maritime domain in that area,” Hernandez said in a statement.
He added that China’s latest move is a violation of the provision on the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC) that China and the 10-member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) signed in 2002.
Based on earlier reports, Vietnam made a formal complaint to Beijing about the map.
However, the Chinese foreign ministry said the map is “not directed at any specific country,” according to a report by the Financial Times.
China claims sovereignty over virtually all of South China Sea while Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei, as well as Taiwan, also have claims to parts of the sea, which is home to some of the world’s most important shipping lanes and believed to be rich in fossil fuels.
