By Ankit Panda
With a new map exhibit, the Philippines tries to repudiate China’s historical claims to South China Sea territories.
On Thursday, the Philippines took aim at China’s capacious claim to almost the entirety of the South China Sea by exhibiting 60 ancient maps which it claims demonstrate that Beijing’s territorial assertions are recent fabrications — not immutable historical facts. To borrow a term, it seems that Philippines is playing China’s “mapfare” game, fighting fire with fire. The Philippines and China have been engaged in a protracted dispute over islets and shoals in the South China Sea. In 2012, following a stand-off, China seized control of the Scarborough Shoal from the Philippines. Recently, the Philippines put forth a proposal at the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) that sought to ban all construction activities in the South China Sea. The proposal did not pass and China continues to remain engaged in the region.
Read the full story at The Diplomat