KUALA LUMPUR: China's publication of their latest China Standard Map for 2023 reveals that the country is unwilling to back off on their territorial claims.
"Long term, the publication of these maps (which are required by Chinese law) demonstrate just how hard and intractable China's position on the South China Sea is," said Julian Ku, law professor at Hofstra University, New York.
Ku, who is an expert on international dispute resolution and China's relationship with international law, said it would be be very difficult to get China to back off on the claims.
"I think the publication of the map confirms the Chinese position that they have some legal claim over waters within Malaysia's EEZ, and that they are not backing down from that claim.
"Countries in the region should not be surprised if the Chinese Coast Guard continues to act as if it has law enforcement authority within the Nine Dash line, and in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ)of Malaysia and the Phillipines, Vietnam, and Malaysia.
"Countries in the region should prepare themselves to contest China's claims over both the short and long term," he said in an email to the New Straits Times.
The 2023 China Standard Map, which was recently issued by the country's Natural Resources Ministry, includes a significant portion of Malaysian waters near Sabah and Sarawak, as well as various regions in India claimed by China.
