SOVEREIGNTY
Old maps and new can easily chart a course of disaster
- Published: 3 Dec 2012 at 00.00
- Newspaper section: News
A political drama emerged when Vietnamese authorities refused to stamp Chinese passports featuring a map that includes disputed islands in the South China Sea labelled as Chinese territory. Instead, visas were issued on a separate piece of paper.
To Vietnam, stamping visas in these newly designed Chinese passports could mean indirect recognition of Chinese sovereignty over the islands. The Philippines, another claimant to the disputed islands, also protested about the map on the Chinese passports.
Meanwhile, India is furious as the Chinese passports also incorporate their disputed territory near the Sino-Indian border as part of China. In retaliation, India has started to issue visas to Chinese citizens with a map of India that includes all territories claimed by New Delhi.
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