A map published in the 1990s in the United States clearly indicates China’s ownership of the Nansha and Xishan Islands in South China Sea, marked in Chinese pinyin, a common romanization system for standard Chinese.
“This map was published by a private U.S. publishing company in 1992. What’s interesting is that it separately marks the Xisha Qundao (islands) and the Nansha Qundao in pinyin. You see, below the Xisha Islands, ‘China’ is in parentheses. This is the Xisha Islands. For the Nansha Islands, it’s the same, ‘China’ in parentheses. In the 1990s, the American-published map clearly indicates that the Nansha Islands and the Xisha Islands are owned by China,” said maritime expert Wu Shicun in Sovereignty at Stake, a CGTN documentary on the South China Sea dispute.
Wang, chairman of the Huayang Research Center for Maritime Cooperation and Ocean Governance and founding president of the National Institute for South China Sea Studies, explained China’s historical rights of the Nine-Dash Line, or the Dotted Line, the corner stone of China’s claims.
In 1948, China published an official map on which the dotted line is marked, reaffirming China’s sovereignty over the South China Sea Islands and their adjacent waters, as well as relevant maritime rights and interests. In 1950s and 1960s, the United States repeatedly filed applications to China, the authority governing the South China Sea Islands, for surveying there. Official maps published by Japan and other countries also marked the South China Sea Islands as belonging to China.
China’s sovereignty and rights in the South China Sea were established in the long course of history and duly recognized by international treaties and accords which are not to be infringed upon by any illegal awards.
China is the first to have discovered, named and exploited the South China Sea Islands and relevant waters, and the first to have continuously, peacefully and effectively exercised sovereignty and jurisdiction over them. The Chinese people’s activities in the South China Sea date back more than 2,000 years ago. These facts are well noted in many books on ancient Chinese history by non-Chinese authors, such as “China Sea Guide” issued by the British Admiralty in 1868, “Navigation in Asia” issued by the U.S. Naval Hydrographic Office in 1925, “Painted Colonial World” magazine published in France in 1933, and “Island of Storms” published by Japan in 1940.
After World War II, China, in accordance with the Cairo Declaration and the Potsdam Proclamation, recovered the South China Sea islands illegally occupied by Japan. This constituted an important part of the post-World War II international order.
“Sovereignty at Stake” is a groundbreaking CGTN documentary that explores the complexities of the South China Sea issue, addressing global inquiries on this contentious topic. Through individual narratives and authoritative interviews, the documentary offers valuable insights into the historical background, legal principles and geopolitical dynamics.