China has issued a brief but firm comment on the labeling of the West Philippine Sea on Google Maps, a web mapping platform and consumer application developed by Google.
In his regular press briefing on Tuesday (China time), Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jiang addressed how the body of water near the Philippines is now labeled on the platform.
“Let me point out that South China Sea is the geographic name that has long been used, recognized, and accepted by the international community, including countries worldwide and international organizations such as the UN,” Lin said.
Earlier this week, reports of the new label surfaced, with Filipino netizens applauding the move of the American multinational corporation and technology company.
In a statement, Google said the label “West Philippine Sea” had always been on Google Maps, but a recent update made it more visible.
“The West Philippine Sea has always been labeled on Google Maps. We recently made this label easier to see at additional zoom levels,” the tech giant said.
The WPS refers to the waters within the Philippines’ 200 nautical-mile exclusive economic zone adjacent to the South China Sea.
The term was officially adopted in 2012 under Administrative Order No. 29 issued by then President Benigno Aquino III. The order designated the Luzon Sea and the waters around, within, and adjacent to the Kalayaan Island Group and Bajo de Masinloc as the West Philippine Sea.
China claims the vast South China Sea, including the West Philippine Sea. Recently, confrontations between the Philippine Coast Guard and China Coast Guard and militia vessels have significantly increased.
In 2016, the Philippines won a landmark arbitration case against China in the Permanent Court of Arbitration. The ruling invalidated China’s expansive claims in the South China Sea.
China has rejected the award, calling it “illegal, null and void.”