New Delhi - The Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia, and Vietnam, in collaboration with India, have jointly rejected China's latest "standard map," which incorrectly depicts territories of other countries as its own.

In a strongly-worded statement, the Philippine government asserted, "This 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)."

Notably, the map includes the ten-dash line, formerly known as the nine-dash line, which is purported to delineate China's boundaries in the South China Sea.

Quoting Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Ma. Teresita Daza, the official Philippine News Agency reported, "(The 2016 Arbitral Award) categorically stated that 'maritime areas of the South China Sea encompassed by the relevant part of the 'nine-dash line' are contrary to the Convention and without lawful effect to the extent that they exceed the geographic and substantive limits of China's maritime entitlements under the Convention."

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

Meanwhile, Malaysia, whose maritime areas are inaccurately depicted on the Chinese map, announced its intention to send a "protest note" to China concerning the latter's claims in the South China Sea.

Foreign Minister Dr. Zambry Abdul Kadir stated, "This has been our standard practice in dealing with such issues... based on the statement issued by Wisma Putra (foreign ministry) yesterday, the next step involves sending a protest note," as reported by the official Bernama news agency.

Critiquing China's recent actions, Pham Thu Hang, spokesperson of the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, affirmed Vietnam's consistent stance on sovereignty over Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly), and vehemently rejected any maritime claims by China based on the "nine-dash line" in the East Sea.

She stressed, "The issuance of the map, as well as China's 'nine-dash line' claim, constitute a violation of Vietnam's sovereignty over Hoang Sa and Truong Sa, as well as Vietnam's sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction over its waters, as stipulated in the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (1982 UNCLOS)."

"Consequently, the sovereignty and maritime claims based on the 'nine-dash line' as depicted in the map are null and infringe upon international law, particularly the 1982 UNCLOS," she underscored.

Meanwhile, Taiwan asserted that it has never been governed by the People's Republic of China (PRC).

Taiwan's Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Jeff Liu, stated, "Taiwan, the Republic of China, is a sovereign and independent country not subordinate to the People's Republic of China. The People's Republic of China has never governed Taiwan. These are universally recognized facts and the established international community status quo."

Responding to the rejections, China's foreign ministry stated, "China's position on the South China Sea remains consistent and clear. Chinese authorities routinely release standard maps of various types each year to promote standardized map usage and raise public awareness."

"We hope that concerned parties will objectively and rationally consider this matter," Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin conveyed.

On Monday, China released a "standard map" inaccurately portraying Indian state Arunachal Pradesh and the arid region of Aksai Chin as parts of Chinese territory. The distorted map also incorporated China's claims over Taiwan and a significant portion of the South China Sea. Vietnam, Brunei, the Philippines, and Malaysia all have territorial claims in the South China Sea.

Rejecting the map on Tuesday, Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar remarked, "China has published maps with territories that do not belong to them. This is an old habit. Simply publishing maps with parts of India does not change anything."

"Our government is unequivocal about our territorial boundaries. Making baseless claims does not transfer ownership of others' territories," he added.