China Just Seized 23,000 Maps Because They Didn't Have the 9-Dash Line

China has seized over 23,000 ‘problematic’ maps in the eastern city of Ningbo because they didn't have the Nine-Dash Line. The maps were intended for export but Customs officials cracked down on the exporter and manufacturer because of the maps' missing features. 

The Nine-Dash Line is Illegal

The Nine-Dash Line is an imaginary border drawn up by China and encompasses the whole of South China Sea, including the West Philippine Sea. China claims everything inside the Nine-Dash Line is an inherent territory of China. In 2013, the Philippines took China to court because of this. 

In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration handed out a landmark victory for the Philippines and declared China’s nine-dash lines and historical claims on the entire South China Sea illegal. It also declared key features in the West Philippine Sea as falling within the Philippines’ maritime zone. The West Philippine Sea has always been a potential flashpoint because it is claimed in part by Brunei, Malaysia, and the Philippines, and in whole by China, Taiwan, and Vietnam.

Disputed Areas in the West Philippine Sea

Photo by Abo Limos.

From 2013 to 2015, China successfully reclaimed and militarized seven reefs in the South China Sea, five of which are in the West Philippine Sea. The five are Mabini Reef, McKennan Reef, Calderon Reef, Kagitingan Reef, and Burgos Reef.

Map of EEZs and Who Controls Which Islands in the West Philippine Sea

Photo by CENTER FOR STRATEGIC AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES.

Aside from 17th-century maps, international treaties, and even Chinese records, we know that the West Philippine Sea belongs to the Philippines because international law says so, even before the landmark victory of Filipinos in the Philippines versus China case at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in 2016.