The People's Republic of China represents one of the most critical frontlines for democracy in the world.
The People's Republic of China has territorial disputes with most of its neighbors.
There are unresolved conflicting territorial claims between China
and practically all of its terrestrial and maritime neighbours.
The PRC government has a long-term policy to gain control over territories it considers its own.
It is commonly known that PRC claims Taiwan as its own
as well as all the islands currently controlled by the Republic of China (Taiwan).
Another bold territorial claim is represented by a map of the South China sea
on which are drawn nine dashes encompassing most of the sea,
putting the PRC in conflict with all of its maritime neighbours.
China (PRC) and Taiwan (ROC)
Relationship between the two Chinas: the Republic of China (Taiwan), and the People's Republic of China,
and the ways the latter is trying to take over the former...
The so-called "nine-dash line" is a map of the South China Sea released by the People's Republic of China
on which a rough outline is drawn with nine dashes encompassing most of the South China Sea
representing the PRC's maritime claims over the area.
See the Wikipedia article for more details.
The nine-dash line in movies
The PRC is using all subliminal and not-so subliminal methods at its disposal to push forward its propaganda.
Many Western movies have been subject to controversies for including images or scenes that agree with the propaganda of the Chinese Communist Party.
The latest such movie is Barbie, a live action film featuring the Mattel Barbie doll,
in which a child-like drawing of the world includes a nine-dash line alongside what would be the coast of China.
As a result, the movie has been banned in Vietnam, and there were calls for it to be banned in the Philippines as well. [2]
The movie producers are claiming that no political statement was meant by the inclusion of the nine dashes.
A better question would be: by which process and under which influence did the nine dashes find their way into the map depicted in the movie?
Mattel's Barbie dolls are made in China.
Today, the People's Republic of China still claims
territories encompassed by nine dashes drawn on a map of the South China Sea.
These claims puts the PRC on a collision course with all its maritime neighbors.
In 2023, Malaysia rejected the latest edition of the ‘standard map of China’
that lays claim to almost the entire South China Sea,
including areas lying off the coast of Malaysian Borneo.
As Malaysia continues to explore for oil and gas off Borneo,
it must contend with Chinese threats and intimidation,
as well as incursion of Chinese vessels into its exclusive economic zone.
India has protested an official "standard map" published by China in 2023
which show Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh and Aksai Chin plateau as being within China's territory.
The two nations have sought economic cooperation with each other,
while frequent border disputes and economic nationalism in both countries are major points of contention.
The PRC and the Philippines
Spratly Islands
For the last few years, the People's Republic of China has been building military runways and facilities
on otherwise unhabitable islets parts of the Spratly Islands.
This way, the PRC is able to build advanced military bases,
and boost its claims to the South China Sea.
In December 2022, news satellite images from US officials show new land formations in the Spratly Islands,
with Chinese vessels seen working there. The Philippine Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that
they were "seriously concerned, as such activities contravene the
Declaration of Conduct on the South China Sea’s undertaking on self-restraint and the 2016 Arbitral Award." [1]
Ayungin Shoal
Ayungin Shoal, also known as Second Thomas Shoal, is an atoll in the Spratly Island,
located in the exclusive economic zone of the Philippines.
The atoll is currently militarily occupied by the Philippines.
In the late 1990, the Philippines grounded a warship on the shoal[3]
and since then China has been demanding for it to be removed.
In 2023, the Chinese Coastguard even fired water cannons at a Philippine ship
en route to resupply the garrison stationed on the shoal.
In 2016, an arbitration under the United Nations Convention on Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) ruled in favour of the Philippines
in a maritime border dispute against the PRC.
China issued a statement stating it would not abide by the arbitral tribunal's decision and that it will "ignore the ruling".
Make list of current territorial claims and how they affect the relationship between the PRC and its neighbors.
This wikipedia article includes historical occurrences of Chinese expansionism.
There is a list of disputed islands in the South China Sea.
Territorial disputes in the South China Sea involve conflicting island and maritime claims in the region by several sovereign states,
namely Brunei, the People's Republic of China (PRC), Taiwan (Republic of China/ROC), Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam.