We all know that China makes some pretty big claims to territory in the South China Sea… claims that even I think seem a bit exaggerated, but then I don’t know any of the history behind it all.
You know, there’s China’s huge “nine dash line” and all that, which extends far south of their actual mainland areas and islands.
So China claims a heck of alot of the sea as we’re always told in our media. Fair enough.
But do you know about the claims of the other Asian countries to the same parts of that sea?
I didn’t. Other than that there were overlapping claims. Maybe because the media never mentions those competing claims.
Vietnam, a country only a fraction of the size and population of China claims well over half the area that China does! That’s it in the solid white line below,
And most absurd of all – and never mentioned – are the claims of the tiny province of Taiwan. Taiwan is tiny even compared to Vietnam, therefore is miniscule compared to mainland China. Taiwan is not even a country!
Yet Taiwan’s claim (the green island at the top of the map below) to the south China Sea IS ALMOST IDENTICAL TO THAT OF CHINA!! Their claim is represented by white dashed line below. China’s claim is the red shaded area – the two claims being almost identical.
How ridiculous.
And Vietnam’s claim extends well past halfway across to The Philippines and Malaysia. (the white solid line)
In fact, only Malaysia seems to be making anything like a sensible claim.
Brunei, just a dot of a country is just annoying by claiming anything at all.
It really does seem like everywhere you read these days, someone, somewhere is trying to make China look greedy or aggressive, either by straight out lies, lies of ommission or by exaggerations and half truths.
Let the reader beware!
(except for when you are at The Font blog. I wouldn’t do any of those things :o)
