Nine-dash line

Nine-dash line
The nine-dash line (in green)
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese九段線
Simplified Chinese九段线
Literal meaningnine-segment line
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyinjiǔduàn xiàn
Eleven-dash line
Traditional Chinese十一段線
Simplified Chinese十一段线
Literal meaningeleven-segment line
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyinshíyīduàn xiàn
Vietnamese name
Vietnamese alphabetĐường chín đoạn
Literal meaningnine-segment line

The nine-dash line, also referred to as the eleven-dash line by Taiwan, is a set of line segments on various maps that accompanied the claims of the People's Republic of China (PRC, "mainland China") and the Republic of China (ROC, "Taiwan") in the South China Sea.[1] The contested area includes the Paracel Islands,[a] the Spratly Islands,[b][2] the Pratas Island and the Vereker Banks, the Macclesfield Bank, and the Scarborough Shoal. Certain places have undergone land reclamation by the PRC, ROC, and Vietnam.[3][4][5] The People's Daily of the PRC uses the term Duànxùxiàn (断续线) or Nánhǎi Duànxùxiàn (南海断续线; lit. 'South Sea intermittent line'), while the ROC government uses the term Shíyīduàn xiàn (十一段線; lit. 'eleven-segment line').[6][7]

A 1946 map showing a U-shaped eleven-dash line was first published by the Republic of China government on 1 December 1947.[8] In 1952, Mao Zedong of the PRC decided to remove two of the dashes in the Gulf of Tonkin amid warming ties with North Vietnam.[9][10] However, the ROC government still uses the eleven-dash line.[11][7] In 2013, some were surprised by a tenth dash to the east of Taiwan, but it had been present in PRC maps since as early as 1984.[12][13] As of 2014, the PRC government had not clarified what it specifically claims in the map,[13] but it did issue further partial clarification in 2024, saying this was an ongoing process.[14]

On 12 July 2016, an arbitral tribunal organized under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) concluded that China had not exercised exclusive and continuous control over the area and that certain maritime features lie within the exclusive economic zone of the Philippines. It did not rule on matters of territorial sovereignty.[15][17][18] As of 2024 26 governments have called for the ruling to be respected.[19][20] It was rejected by eight governments, including China (PRC) and Taiwan (ROC).[21][22][20]

  1. ^ Michaela del Callar (26 July 2013). "China's new '10-dash line map' eats into Philippine territory". GMA News. Archived from the original on 22 July 2015. Retrieved 19 July 2015.
  2. ^ Jamandre, Tessa (14 April 2011). "PH protests China's '9-dash line' Spratlys claim". Malaya. Archived from the original on 19 April 2011. Retrieved 2 June 2011.
  3. ^ "China building 'great wall of sand' in South China Sea". BBC. 1 April 2015. Archived from the original on 5 April 2015. Retrieved 22 May 2015.
  4. ^ "US Navy: Beijing creating a 'great wall of sand' in South China Sea". The Guardian. 31 March 2015. Archived from the original on 22 May 2015. Retrieved 22 May 2015.
  5. ^ Marcus, Jonathan (29 May 2015). "US-China tensions rise over Beijing's 'Great Wall of Sand'". BBC. Archived from the original on 29 May 2015. Retrieved 29 May 2015.
  6. ^ "人民日报：中国在南海断续线内的历史性权利不容妄议和否定". 人民网. People's Daily. 23 May 2016. Retrieved 31 October 2021. 人民日报：中国在南海断续线内的历史性权利不容妄议和否定
  7. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference ROCForeignAffairs2016-04-08 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Wu, Shicun (2013). Solving Disputes for Regional Cooperation and Development in the South China Sea: A Chinese Perspective. Chandos Asian Studies Series. Elsevier Reed. ISBN 978-1780633558.
  9. ^ Horton, Chris (8 July 2019). "Taiwan's Status Is a Geopolitical Absurdity". The Atlantic.
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference :2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ international Crisis Group (2012). "Appendix B" (PDF). Stirring up the South China Sea (Ii): Regional Responses. International Crisis Group. Note 373, p. 36. JSTOR resrep32231.11. Unlike Beijing, however, Taipei uses the original eleven dashes, since the other two dashes in the Gulf of Tonkin were only removed under the approval of Premier Zhou Enlai in 1953, four years after the establishment of the PRC. Li Jinming and Li Dexia, 'The Dotted Line on the Chinese Map of the South China Sea: A Note'.
  12. ^ Euan Graham. "China's New Map: Just Another Dash?". RUSI. Archived from the original on 29 September 2013.
  13. ^ a b Baumert, Kevin; Melchior, Brian (5 December 2014). No. 143 China: Maritime Claims in the South China Sea (PDF). Limits in the Seas (Report). Office of Ocean and Polar Affairs, Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs, U.S. Department of State. Archived (PDF) from the original on 20 February 2020.Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  14. ^ "菲出台海洋法后 中国公布黄岩岛领海基线". Singapore: Lianhe Zaobao (联合早报). 10 November 2024. Archived from the original on 10 November 2024. Retrieved 11 November 2024.
  15. ^ "PCA Press Release: The South China Sea Arbitration (The Republic of the Philippines v. The People's Republic of China) | PCA-CPA". pca-cpa.org. Retrieved 12 July 2016.
  16. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference PCA Award was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  17. ^ PCA Award, Section V(F)(d)(264, 266, 267), p. 113.[16]
  18. ^ PCA Award, Section V(F)(d)(278), p. 117.[16]
  19. ^ Declaration by the High Representative on behalf of the EU on the Award rendered in the Arbitration between the Republic of the Philippines and the People's Republic of China ...
  20. ^ a b "Arbitration Support Tracker | Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative". Center for Strategic and International Studies. Archived from the original on 15 July 2024. Retrieved 25 August 2024.
  21. ^ "South China Sea: Tribunal backs case against China brought by Philippines". BBC News. 12 July 2016. Archived from the original on 20 June 2018. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
  22. ^ Jun Mai; Shi Jiangtao (12 July 2016). "Taiwan-controlled Taiping Island is a rock, says international court in South China Sea ruling". South China Morning Post. Archived from the original on 15 July 2016. Retrieved 13 July 2016.


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