Wrong maps of China almost disappear thanks to regulations

In recent years, maps that wrongfully represented the territory of China have almost disappeared in China thanks to the oversight of map market regulations, a map editor said on Monday.

"Wrong maps of China include those that omitted Diaoyu Island, Chiwei Islet, islands in the South China Sea, Taiwan and other places," said Wang Yang, a map editor at SinoMaps Press, during the national map awareness promotion event and map-themed bookstore open day held in Beijing.

Wang said that some patriotic medals that used to be sold on an e-commerce platform, for example, lacked certain Chinese territories such as Taiwan while being marketed under the guise of patriotism.

Other examples include China's map on jigsaw puzzles for children, which were oversimplified and outlined with random border lines, Wang added.

According to a notice released in April by the Ministry of Natural Resources, national maps represent the territory over which a country exercises sovereignty, possessing serious political significance, rigorous scientific accuracy and strict legality.

Wrong maps that incorrectly depict the country's borders, omit important islands, or even mark sensitive military or confidential information will seriously harm the country's national sovereignty, security, and interests of development.

"Although China is big, not a small spot can be lost. Although the map seems small, there's no room for any wrongness of it," said Wang.

In order to standardize the use of maps, the SinoMaps Press, under the guidance of the Ministry of Natural Resources, has compiled multiple versions of China's standard maps that can be downloaded and used for free by the public, Wang said.