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MANILA (UPDATE)— The Philippines on Thursday filed a diplomatic protest against a new map that showed China's extended territorial claims, including parts of the West Philippine Sea.

The map featured a 10-dashed line, which was previously a nine-dashed line, that supposedly shows China’s boundaries in the waterway, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) noted.

"We already protested against that... We reject that and we continue to promote a peaceful settlement of disputes in that regard," DFA Daniel Espiritu said in a Palace briefing.

The protest was filed "definitely earlier than today," he said.

In a separate statement, the DFA said China's "latest attempt to legitimize China’s purported sovereignty and jurisdiction over Philippine features and maritime zones has no basis under international law, particularly the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)."

The Permanent Court of Arbitration in 2016 had invalidated the nine-dashed line, the agency added.

"The Philippines, therefore, calls on China to act responsibly and abide by its obligations under UNCLOS and the final and binding 2016 Arbitral Award," the DFA said.

National Security Adviser Eduardo Año said the Philippines would "continue to protect our territorial integrity and our national sovereignty."

"Our Armed Forces, our uniformed services, our government will do everything in its capacity to ensure that we are protecting our national interest," he added.

The 2023 edition of China's standard map was officially released on Monday and launched on the website of the standard map service hosted by the Ministry of Natural Resources. This map is compiled based on the drawing method of national boundaries of China and various countries… pic.twitter.com/bmtriz2Yqe

— Global Times (@globaltimesnews) August 28, 2023

China claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea -- through which trillions of dollars in trade pass annually -- despite an international court ruling that Beijing's entitlement has no legal basis.

Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Brunei also have overlapping claims in parts of the sea, while the United States sends naval vessels through it to assert freedom of navigation in international waters.

Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin said the map was "a routine practice in China’s exercise of sovereignty in accordance with the law."

"We hope relevant sides can stay objective and calm, and refrain from over-interpreting the issue," he said in a briefing.

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Sen. Risa Hontiveros earlier Thursday urged the DFA to file a diplomatic protest against the map that claimed parts of the Philippines' EEZ.

“China is delusional. Wala na sa huwisyo itong Tsina. Kung ano-ano nalang ang ginagawa para mang-angkin ng mga teritoryong hindi naman sa kanya. This ‘map’ is Beijing’s desperate attempt to assert its lies and propaganda,” Hontiveros said in a statement.

(China is not in the right state of mind. It does just about anything to claim territory that it does not own.)

"Kung mas maraming mga bansa ang tumutol sa mapang ito, mas maitutuwid natin ang kasinungalingan ng Tsina,” the senator said.

India issued a "strong protest" to China's map that claimed land that New Delhi says is theirs, including territory close to where the neighbors battled in 2020.

Kuala Lumpur also rejected the map that claimed waters off Malaysia's coast in the South China Sea.

Sen. Chiz Escudero said Beijing's map "does not affect us nor does it impinge on the Arbitral Ruling in our favor."

"Any unilateral declaration by a State has no weight nor standing in international law," he said.

Sen. Koko Pimentel said the Philippines was "not under any obligation to recognize the territorial claims of other countries."

"It is important to concentrate on our own position: on the extent of our territorial claims as well as maritime zones," he added.

In recent years, China has ramped up development of artificial islands and outfitted some with military facilities and runways.

The Philippines has also accused China of harassing its vessels.

• South China Sea confrontation hits China-Philippines ties
• AFP chief rejects joint military drills with China

— With reports from Job Manahan, ABS-CBN News; Agence France-Presse

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