Japanese Ambassador to the Philippines Koshikawa Kazuhiko gave his two cents about China’s newly released map with 10-dash line, encompassing Taiwan and all of the Spratly Islands, including the Philippines’ Kalayaan Island Group (KIG).

West Philippine Sea (AFP photo)

“China must act responsibly and abide by international law including UNCLOS and 2016 Arbitral Award,” he wrote on a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Friday, Sept. 1, while sharing the Department of Foreign Affairs’ (DFA) statement on the matter.

UNCLOS is the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

While the envoy did not specifically say that Japan was one of the countries opposing the 10-dash line, he recognized that “many countries in this region including PH are opposing China’s 10-dash line map.”

The Philippines maintained that it does not recognize the new map, similar to its position against the old Chinese map with nine-dash lines.

On Aug. 28, state-run website China Daily said that China’s Ministry of Natural Resources released a new image of the 2023 edition of its standard map.

The new dash added to the traditional nine-dash line now covers the eastern section of the democratic island of Taiwan, as well as the entire Spratly Islands, which include the Kalayaan Island Group.

In its statement, the DFA said that “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 UNCLOS.

It asked China to abide by international laws and the 2016 Arbitral Award, which invalidated the basis of its nine-dash line claim.