Justice Antonio T.

Carpio
The views expressed in this presentation are the personal opinion of the author and do
not necessarily represent the position of the Philippine Government.

Chinas 9-dashed Lines

Chinas national boundaries under the 9-dashed lines

Macclesfield Bank

In
December
1947,
the
Kuomintang
Government in China adopted the 9-dashed
lines claim. The claim was embodied in a map
entitled Location Map of the South Sea
Islands released within China in February
1948, with 11 dashes forming U-shaped lines
covering almost the entire South China Sea.

The Original 1947

9-dashed Lines Map of China
Entitled Location Map of
the South Sea Islands

The title of the map indicates

a claim to the islands, not the sea.

China did not explain the meaning or basis of

the 11 dashes. China did not also give the
coordinates of the 11 dashes. China claimed the
islands enclosed by the 11 dashes, namely
Dongsha Island (Pratas), Xisha Islands
(Paracels), Zhongsa Island (Macclesfield Bank),
and Nansha Islands (Spratlys). China was silent
on any claim to the surrounding waters.

The Original 1947

9 dashed Lines
Map of China

Chinas claim to the South Sea Islands is

contrary to the 1946 Constitution of the
Republic of China, which declared Chinas
territory to be the same territory as that of the
Qing Dynasty, with Hainan Island as the
southernmost territory.

In 1953, China, under communist rule,

announced the removal of two dashes in the
Gulf of Tonkin without any explanation. The Ushaped lines became known as the 9-dashed
lines.

In 2009, Vietnam and Malaysia jointly

submitted to the United Nations their Extended
Continental Shelf claims. China protested the
claims and attached to its protest a map of its 9dashed lines, claiming the adjacent and
relevant waters to all the islands enclosed by
the lines. This was the first time that China
officially announced the 9-dashed lines to the
world. China did not explain the meaning or
basis of the dashes, or the meaning of
adjacent and relevant waters. Neither did
China give the coordinates of the dashes.

Nine-dashed Lines Map

Submitted by China
to the UN in 2009

In 2013, China released a new map of China,

adding a 10th dash on the eastern side of
Taiwan. In this new map, China calls the 10dashed lines as its national boundaries,
indicating that all the islands and waters within
the lines are its territory. In 2014, Chinas
Hainan Province began enforcing regulations
interpreting the adjacent and relevant
waters as those enclosed by the 10-dashed lines.

Chinas New Map with 10 dashes (2013)

Printed in a 1947 map, Chinas 9-dashed lines have no fixed coordinates.

Originally 11 dashes, two dashes in the Gulf of Tonkin were removed in 1953
without explanation. In 2013, one dash was added east of Taiwan. The new 2013
China map, with 10 dashed lines, is printed by SinoMaps Press.

What is the Effect of Chinas National

Boundaries under the 9-dashed Lines?
The Philippines loses about 80% of its EEZ facing
the West Philippine Sea, including part of the
Malampaya gas field. Malaysia loses also about
80% of its EEZ in Sabah and Sarawak facing the
South China Sea, as well as most of its active gas
and oil fields in the same area. Vietnam loses about
50% of its total EEZ. Brunei loses about 90% of its
total EEZ. Indonesia loses about 20% of its EEZ
facing the South China Sea in Natuna Island whose
surrounding waters comprise the largest gas field in

Chinas national boundaries under the 9-dashed lines

Macclesfield Bank

China has on-going reclamations on six of the

seven geologic features China occupies in the
Spratlys: (1) Fiery Cross Reef; (2) Cuarteron
Reef; (3) Gaven Reef; (4) Johnson South Reef;
(5) McKennan Reef; and (6) Mischief Reef.

Chinese Reclamation on Fiery Cross (Kagitingan) Reef

Chinese Reclamation on Fiery Cross (Kagitingan) Reef

Chinese Reclamation on Fiery Cross (Kagitingan) Reef

Chinas Dredgings Destroy Reefs Vital for Fish

Habitat
Click to edit Master text styles
Second level
Third level
Fourth level
Fifth level

Chinas Planned Air and Naval Base on Fiery Cross Reef

Source: China State Shipbuilding Corporation

One of the reclamation projects of China will be an airbase with a seaport, expected
to be completed in 2015. The airbase, with a 3,000 meter runway, will be in a 200hectare reclamation on Fiery Cross Reef. This reclamation will be larger than the
combined area of the 13 largest islands in the Spratlys, and twice the area of Diego
Garcia Island, the U.S. airbase in the Indian Ocean.

Chinas J-16 Fight-Bomber with 3,900 KM

Range

Chinas Continuing Mass Production of Warships

The 3rd generation Type 052D guided missile destroyer on the left
was launched in 2014. The other two will be launched in 2015.

Chinas national boundaries under the 9-dashed lines

Macclesfield Bank

The main driver of the South China Sea

dispute is Chinas claim to all the islands,
rocks, reefs, atolls and waters enclosed by
the 9-dashed lines.

Chinas expansive claim to all the waters

enclosed by the 9-dashed lines is contrary to the
United Nations Convention on the Law of the
Sea (UNCLOS) because the dashed lines are not
drawn from Chinas baselines along its coasts. A
fundamental principle in the law of the sea,
before and after UNCLOS, is that all claims to
maritime zones must be measured from baselines
along the coast of continental land or island.
Chinas 9-dashed lines glaringly fail to comply
with this basic mandatory requirement of
international law.

Chinas national boundaries under the 9-dashed lines

Macclesfield Bank

All South China Sea disputant States are parties

to UNCLOS and are obliged to comply with the
provisions of UNCLOS in good faith.

Chinas expansive claim encroaches on the

EEZs of the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia,
Brunei and Indonesia. This is the maritime
dispute in the South China Sea.

China and Vietnam are claiming ownership of

the entire Paracels and Spratlys. The Philippines
and Malaysia are claiming ownership of certain
islands in the Spratlys. The Philippines and
China are claiming ownership of Scarborough
Shoal. This is the territorial dispute in the
South China Sea.

2002 ASEAN-China
Declaration of Conduct

The South China Sea dispute shall be resolved

in accordance with universally recognized
principles of international law, including the
1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.

After the Philippines filed in January 2013 its

arbitration case against China under UNCLOS,
Chinas Foreign Minister Wang Yi declared that
the South China Sea dispute should be resolved in
accordance with historical facts and
international law.

Historical facts have no bearing in the resolution

of maritime disputes under UNCLOS, unless the
dispute involves territorial waters. The South
China Sea maritime dispute involves mainly
encroachments by Chinas 9-dashed lines on the
EEZs and ECSs of other coastal states, as well as
on the high seas.
However, to bring out the truth and expose the
lies, we shall examine the historical facts.

We gladly accept Chinas invitation

to look at the historical facts by
examining three types of ancient
maps:

First, ancient maps of China made by Chinese

authorities or Chinese individuals;
Second, ancient maps of China made by
Westerners; and
Third, ancient maps of the Philippines made by
Westerners or Philippine authorities and
individuals.

All these ancient maps will show that since time

immemorial the southernmost territory of
China has always been Hainan Island, with its
ancient names being Zhuya, then Qiongya, and
thereafter Qiongzhou. Hainan Island was for
centuries a part of Guangdong Province until
1988 when Hainan Island became a separate
province.
On the other hand, ancient maps will show that
Scarborough Shoal has always been part of the
Philippines.

Ancient Maps of China Made by

Chinese Authorities or Individuals

1136 AD
Hua Yi Tu

This map was engraved in stone in Fuchang in

1136 AD during the Song Dynasty. A stone
rubbing of the map was published in 1903(?) in
France. The stone map is entitled Hua Yi Tu
or Map of China and the Barbarian
Countries. The stone map is now in the Forest
of Stone Steles Museum in Xian, China. This
map shows Hainan Island as the
southernmost territory of China.
The
annotations on the sides of this map are not part
of the stone engraving. This digital reproduction
is from the U.S. Library of Congress (Catalogue
No.2002626771; Digital ID g7820 ct000284).

1389 Da Ming Hun Yi Tu or

The Great Ming Dynasty Amalgamated
Map

Created in 1389 during the Ming Dynasty, this

map is painted on silk and is entitled Da Ming
Hun Yi Tu or the Great Ming Dynasty
Amalgamated Map. The map shows Hainan
Island as the southernmost territory of China.
The original of the map is with the First
Historical Archive of China in Beijing. This
digital reproduction is from Wikimedia
Commons, which sourced the map from the
library of the Hong Kong Baptist University.
(http://geog.hkbu.edu.hk/GEOG1150/Chinese/C
atalog/am31_map1.htm).

1547-1559 Da Ming Yu Di Tu
or the Atlas of the Ming Empire

Published between 1547 and 1559 by the Ming

Dynasty, this map is entitled the Da Ming Yu
Di Tu or the Atlas of the Ming Empire. The
map shows the then 13 provinces of China.
Taiwan is not included. The map shows Hainan
Island as the southernmost territory of China.
This digital reproduction is from the U.S.
Library
of
Congress
(Catalogue
No.
2002626776; Digital ID g7820m gct00125 ).

1601 Tian Di Tu
or the Atlas of Heaven and Earth

Published in 1601 by Junheng Zuo during the

Ming Dynasty, this map is entitled Tian Di Tu
or the Atlas of Heaven and Earth. This map
shows Hainan Island as the southernmost
territory of China. This digital reproduction is
from the U.S. Library of Congress (Catalogue
No. 200262675; Digital ID g7820m gct00225).

1602 Kunyu Wanguo Quantu

or A Map of the Myriad Countries of the World

Published in Beijing in 1602 by the Ming

Dynasty, this map is entitled Kunyu Wanguo
Quantu or A Map of the Myriad Countries of
the World. The Jesuit priest Matteo Ricci
created this map upon request of the Ming
Emperor Wanli. Ricci was assisted by Zhong
Wentao, Li Zhizao, and other Chinese scholars.
This map shows Hainan Island as the
southernmost territory of China. This digital
reproduction is from the U.S. Library of
Congress (Catalogue No. 2010585650; Digital
ID g3200 ex000006Za,b and g3200m
gex00001).

Jesuit Priest
Matteo Ricci

1606-1624 Selden Map of China

1606-1624
Selden Map
of China
Trade Routes

John Selden

Published sometime between 1606 and 1624

during the Ming Dynasty, this map is called the
Selden Map of China because it was bequeathed
by John Selden to the Bodleian Library of the
University of Oxford in 1659. The maker of the
map is an unknown Chinese. The map shows
China, South Asia, Southeast Asia, and East
Asia. The South China Sea is conspicuously at
the center of the map. The map shows China
with Hainan as its southernmost territory.
This digital reproduction is from the Bodleian
Library of the University of Oxford
(http://seldenmap. bodleian.ox.ac.uk/map).

This map was re-discovered in 2008 from the

basement files of the Bodleian Library, where
it had gathered dust for 350 years from the
time the executors of the estate of John Selden
delivered the map to the Bodleian Library.
There are two things unique about the map
itself.

First, China is not shown as the center of the

world but as part of Southeast Asia and East
Asia. For this reason, this map is probably
not an official map of the Ming Dynasty.
Second, this map shows the shipping trade
routes, with compass bearings, in South Asia,
Southeast Asia, and East Asia. Trade routes
had not previosuly appeared in any Chinese

There is another unique thing accidentally related

to this map - the persona of its owner after whom
the map is named. John Selden (1584-1654), was
an English jurist and philosopher. He was a
polymath and prolific writer. He wrote in 1635
Mare Clausum under the Kings patronage. Mare
Clausum, which means the closed sea, refutes
Hugo Grotius Mare Liberum, which means the
free sea. Mare Clausum articulated Englands
position then that the oceans and seas were subject
to appropriation and ownership by individual states.
The same view was held by Spain and Portugal at

Hugo Grotius

Today, England, Spain and Portugal, together with

the overwhelming majority of the members of the
United Nations, are parties to UNCLOS, which is
founded on the fundamental principle, first
espoused by Grotius, that beyond the territorial sea,
the oceans and seas are incapable of sovereign
ownership by states. China is also a party to
UNCLOS, but its position in the South China Sea
adopts the Mare Clausum idea of John Selden, an
idea which international law had long ago rejected.

1811 Da Qing Wan Nian Yi Tong Tian Xia Quan Tu

or The Great Qing Dynastys Complete Map of All Under Heaven

Published in China in 1811 by the Qing Emperor

Jiaqing, this map is entitled Da Qing Wan
Nian Yi Tong Tian Xia Quan Tu or the Great
Qing Dynastys Complete Map of All Under
Heaven. This map shows Hainan Island as the
southernmost territory of China. This digital
reproduction is from the U.S. Library of
Congress (Catalogue No. gm71005018; Digital
ID g3200 ct003403).

1814-1816 Qing Wan Nian Yi Tong Di Li Quan Tu or

The Complete Geographical Map of the Great Qing Dynasty

Published in China between 1814 and 1816 by

Qianren Huang, this map is entitled Da Qing
Wan Nian Yi Tong Di Li Quan Tu or The
Complete Geographical Map of the Great
Qing Dynasty. This map shows Hainan Island
as the southernmost territory of China. This
digital reproduction is from the U.S. Library of
Congress (Catalogue No. gm71005060; Digital
ID g7820 ct002256)

1885 Da Qing Er Shi San Sheng Yu Di Quan Tu or The Complete

Map of the Twenty-Three Provinces of the Great Qing Dynasty

Published sometime after 1885 in China by the

Qing Dynasty, this map is entitled Da Qing Er
Shi San Sheng Yu Di Quan Tu or the
Complete Map of the Twenty-Three Provinces
of the Great Qing Dynasty. This map shows
Hainan Island as the southernmost territory
of China. This digital reproduction is from the
U.S. Library of Congress (Catalogue No.
gm71005068; Digital ID g7820 ct003427).

1896 Huang Chao Zhi Sheng Yu Di Quan Tu or The

Qing Empires Complete Map of All Provinces

Published in 1896 in China by Guangxu Bing

Shen, this map is entitled Huang Chao Zhi
Sheng Yu Di Quan Tu or the Qing Empires
Complete Map of All Provinces. This map
shows Hainan Island as the southernmost
territory of China. This digital reproduction is
from the U.S. Library of Congress (Catalogue
No. gm71005083; Digital ID g7820 ct003428).

1929 Zhong Hua Guo Chi Di Tu

Published in 1929 in Beijing by Hebei Sheng

and Gong Shang Ting, this map is entitled
Zhong Hua Guo Chi Di Tu. The map
mentions the treaties signed by China and the
harbors opened to foreign powers. This map
shows Hainan Island as the southernmost
territory of China. This digital reproduction is
from the U.S. Library of Congress (Catalogue
No. 2007628129; Digital ID g7821f ct002301).

1933 Zhonghua Min Guo Fen Sheng Xin Tu

Published in Wuchang, China in 1933(?) by Ya

Xin Di Xue She, this map is entitled Zhonghua
Min Guo Fen Sheng Xin Tu. This map shows
Hainan Island as the southernmost territory
of China. This digital reproduction is from the
U.S. Library of Congress (Catalogue No.
2006629696; Digital ID g7821f ct002303).

Ancient Maps of China

Made by Foreigners

1734 Carte la plus Generale et qui Comprehend la Chine, la Tartarie Chinoise,

et le Thibet or A General Map that Includes China, Chinese Tartary and Tibet

Created in 1734 in Paris by Jean Baptiste

Bourguignon DAnville, this map is entitled
Carte la plus Generale et qui Comprehend la
Chine, la Tartarie Chinoise, et le Thibet or A
General Map that Includes China, Chinese
Tartary and Tibet. DAnville was the the Royal
Cartographer of France and had access to the
works of the Jesuit cartographers in China
through his friend the French Jesuit Du Halde.
As the map itself states, the map was taken from
surveys made by the Jesuit missionaries from
1708-1716 upon instructions of Emperor Kangxi
of the Qing Dynasty. The map shows Hainan

1833 Carte de LEmpire Chinois et du Japon

or A French Map of the Chinese Empire together with Japan

Published in 1833 in Paris by Conrad MalteBrun, this map is entitled Carte de LEmpire
Chinois et du Japon or A French Map of the
Chinese Empire together with Japan. This
map shows Hainan Island as the
southernmost territory of China. This digital
reproduction is from Wikimedia Commons
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:L
%27Empire_Chinois_et_du_Japon_
%281833%29.jpg).

It is obvious from all these ancient Chinese

maps, whether made by Chinese authorities and
individuals or by foreigners, that the
southernmost territory of China has always been
Hainan Island. Throughout the Chinese
dynasties, Chinas territory never included
the Spratlys and Scarborough Shoal. There is
not a single ancient Chinese map, whether
made by Chinese or foreigners, showing that
the Spratlys and Scarborough Shoal were
ever part of Chinese territory. To repeat, in
all these ancient Chinese maps, the southernmost
Chinese territory has always been Hainan Island.

When the Qing Dynasty ended in 1912,

the Chinese republicans led by Dr. Sun
Yat Sen established the Republic of
China. The following provisions of five
(5) Constitutions of the Republic of
China state:

Article 3, Chapter 1, of the Provisional

Constitution of the Republic of China of
March 11, 1912 states: The territory of the
Republic of China is composed of 22
provinces, Inner and Outer Mongolia, Tibet
and Qinghai. As we have seen in the maps of
the Qing Dynasty, one of the 22 provinces is
Guangdong, which includes Hainan Island as the
southernmost territory of China.

1896 Huang Chao Zhi Sheng Yu Di Quan Tu or The

Qing Empires Complete Map of All Provinces

Article 3, Chapter 1, of the Constitution of the

Republic of China of May 1, 1914 states: The
territory of the Republic of China continues
to be the territory of the former empire. The
editorial comment in the Regulations explains
the words former empire as referring to the
Qing Dynasty.

Former empire means the Qing Dynasty

Page 3 of the Regulations state:

Article 3, Chapter 2, of the Constitution of the

Republic of China of October 10, 1924 states:
The territory of the Republic of China
continues to be the traditional territory.

The Constitution of the Republic of China of

January 1, 1937 states: The territory of the
Republic of China continues to be the
territory it owned in the past.

Article 4, Chapter 1 of the Constitution of the

Republic of China of December 25, 1946 states:
The territory of the Republic of China shall
be that encompassed by its traditional
boundaries.

All these constitutional provisions are from an

official publication of the Peoples Republic of
China entitled Regulations of the Republic of
China Concerning Rule Over Tibet (China No. 2
History Archives, China International Press,
January 1, 1999). Thus, after the fall of the Qing
Dynasty, the new Republic of China reiterated to
the world that its territory remained the same as
the territory of the Qing Dynasty, with Hainan
Island as Chinas southernmost territory.

In a Note Verbale to the French

Government on September 29, 1932
Protesting the French occupation
of the Paracels, the Chinese
Government officially declared:

Note of 29 September 1932 from the Legation

of the Chinese Republic in France to the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Paris
On the instructions of its Government, the
Legation of the Chinese Republic in France has
the honor to transmit its Governments reply to
the Foreign Ministrys Note of 4 January 1932
on the subject of the Paracel Islands.
xxx

According to the reports on the Si-Chao-ChuinTao (Paracel) Islands drawn up in the Year XVII
of the Chinese Republic (1926) by Mr. ShenPang-Fei, President of the Commission of
Inquiry into these islands, and to the files of
these islands compiled by the Department of
Industry of Kwangtung Province, the islands lie
between longitude 100 13 and 112 47 east.
More than 20 in number, large and small, most
of them are barren sandbanks, 10 or so are rocks
These groups lie 145 nautical miles from Hainan
and 8 are true islands. The eastern group is
Island, and form the southernmost part of
called the Amphitrites and the western group the
Chinese territory.
Crescent. These groups lie 145 nautical miles

In short, in 1932 the Chinese Government

officially declared to the world that the
southernmost part of Chinese territory was
the Paracels, which formed part of Hainan
Island. Still, this declaration categorically
affirmed the previous official maps of the Song,
Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties that showed
Hainan Island as the southernmost territory of
China.

Scarborough Shoal is 380 NM from the Paracels

and 500 NM from Hainan Island. Since Hainan
Island or even the Paracels are the southernmost
territory of China as officially declared by China
in its September 29, 1932 Note Verbale to the
French Government, then Scarborough Shoal is
not part of, and could never have been part of,
Chinese territory.

The Paracels and Scarborough Shoal

Chinas Southernmost Point in Ancient

Chinese Culture

In Chinese literature, Tianya Haijiao (Edges of Heaven,

Corners of the Sea) is mentioned in many old famous
poems. "I will follow you to Tian-Ya-Hai-Jiao means if we
get married I will never leave you. Many newlyweds spend
their honeymoon here, considered the southernmost point of
China.

5. Tianya Haijiao -- Picturesque Beach Scenery

Tianya Haijiao (Heavens Edge Seas Corner) in Sanya, on South Chinas Hainan
Island, is one of the most romantic and picturesque beaches in China. It is considered
to be the southernmost tip of China. It is a must-see-attraction for new Chinese
couples because of old Chinese literature saying: I will follow you to Tianya Haijiao
which means the couple will be together forever.

Be warned: this place may be very crowded all year round.

Screenshot from China Highlights Tour Website

Ancient Maps of the Philippines

Made by Philippine Authorities
or Foreigners

1636 China Veteribus Sinarum Regio Nunc Incolis Tame Dicta

Published in Frankfurt in 1636 by map maker

Matthaus Merian, this map is entitled China
Veteribus Sinarum Regio Nunc Incolis Tame
Dicta. This map shows China, Korea, Japan,
Taiwan and Northern Luzon. On the western
side off the coast of Central Luzon, there is an
unnamed shoal below the words P. de
Mandato. The Spanish phrase P. de
Mandato means the point of command
which implies there was a Spanish military
garrison in that coastal place. The unnamed
shoal off this coastal place would later be
called Panacot by the Jesuit Pedro Murillo

1650 Carte Generale des Indes Orientales et des Isles Adiacentes

Published in Paris in 1650 by the map maker

Pierre Mariette, this map is entitled Carte
Generale des Indes Orientales et des Isles
Adiacentes. On the western side off the coast
of Central Luzon, there is an unnamed shoal
below the words P. de Mandato. This
unnamed shoal would later be called Panacot.
This digital reproduction is from Barry Lawrence
Ruderman
Antique
Maps,
Inc.
(http://www.raremaps.com/gallery/
detail/30701).

1662 Tabula Indiae Orientalis

Published in Amsterdam in 1662 by Fredrick De

Wit, this map is entitled Tabula Indiae
Orientalis. On the western side off the coast
of Central Luzon, there is an unnamed shoal
below the words P. de Mandato. This
unnamed shoal would later be called Panacot.
This digital reproduction is from Barry
Lawrence Ruderman Antique Maps, Inc.
(http://www.raremaps.com/gallery/detail/31529/
Tabula_Indiae_Orientalis/De%20Wit.html).

1670 Indiae Orientalis nec non Insularum

Adiacentum Nova Descriptio

Published in Amsterdam in 1670 by Nicholaus

Visscher, this map is entitled Indiae Orientalis
nec non Insularum Adiacentum Nova
Descriptio. On the western side off the coast
of Central Luzon, there are two unnamed
shoals below the words P. de Mandato. One
of these two shoals would later be called
Panacot. This digital reproduction is from Barry
Lawrence Ruderman Antique Maps, Inc.
(http://www.raremaps.com/gallery/detail/35549/I
ndiae_Orientalis_nec_non_Insularum
_Adiacentium_Nova_Descriptio/Visscher.html).

1676 A New Map of East India

Published in London in 1676 by John Speed, this

map is entitled A New Map of East India.
On the western side off the coast of Central
Luzon, there is an unnamed shoal below the
words P. de Mandato. This unnamed shoal
would later be called Panacot. This digital
reproduction is from Barry Lawrence Ruderman
Antique
Maps,
Inc.
(http://www.raremaps.com/gallery/detail/32192/
A_New_Map_of_East_India/Speed.html).

1734 Murillo Map

Published in 1734 in Manila by the Jesuit Pedro

Murillo Velarde, this map is entitled Carta
Hydrographica y Chorographica de las Yslas
Filipinas. This is the oldest map that gives a
name to Panacot shoal. Panacot is the
Tagalog word for threat or danger. Prior to
this 1734 map, no map had ever given a name
to this shoal. Scarborough Shoal had a Tagalog
name 213 years before China drew its 9-dashed
lines map. The Murillo map itself names two
Filipinos, Francisco Suarez who drew the map
and Nicolas dela Cruz Bagay who engraved it.
This map is considered the mother of all

1744 Carta Hydrographica y Chorographica de

las Yslas Filipinas

Published in 1744 in Manila by the Jesuit Pedro

Murillo Velarde, this map is a reduced version of
his 1734 map with the same title, Carta
Hydrographica y Chorographica de las Yslas
Filipinas. This 1744 Murillo map does not have
the 12 vignettes of people and places in the
archipelago that appear in the 1734 map. The
map is signed by the engraver, Nicholas dela
Cruz Bagay. Panacot shoal is shown as in
the 1734 map. This digital reproduction is from
the National Library of Australia (Bib ID
1958890, MAP G8061.S1 1744).

1761 A General Map of the East Indies and that Part of China
where the Europeans Have Any Settlements or Commonly Any Trade

Published in 1761 in London by the map maker

Thomas Kitchin, this map is entitled A General
Map of the East Indies and that Part of China
where the Europeans Have Any Settlements
or Commonly Any Trade. This map shows
Panacot shoal. This digital reproduction is
from Barry Lawrence Ruderman Antique Maps,
Inc.
(http://www.raremaps.com/gallery/detail/0176gh
).

1770 East Indies

Published in 1770 in London by Thomas

Kitchin, the Royal Hydrographer, this map is
entitled East Indies. This maps shows
Panacot shoal. This digital reproduction is
from the National Library of Australia (Bib ID
3620673, map-rm 1424).

Philippine
Islands with the Archipelagos of Felicia and
Soloo

Published in 1778 in London by R. Sayer and J.

Bennett, this map is entitled A Chart of the
China Sea and the Philippine Islands with the
Archipelagos of Felicia and Soloo.
Interestingly, Panacot or Marsingola Bank
is the name given to one feature and
Scarborough Shoal is the name given to a
nearby shoal, with the words the
Scarborough Sept. 12, 1748, the date when
the British tea clipper struck the shoal. This
digital reproduction is from the National Library
of Australia (Bib ID 3667413, map-ra52-s70).

1784 Map of the Pacific Ocean between the Coast of California

and Mexico and Japan, Philippines, and the Coast of China

Published in 1784 and printed on paper

impressed with the watermark PVL (Pieter van
Ley). The creator of the map is not named. The
explanation written on the map is in Spanish.
This map is designated by the U.S. Library of
Congress as Map of the Pacific Ocean
between the Coast of California and Mexico
and Japan, Philippines, and the Coast of
China. This maps shows a shoal named B.
Mansiloc. The Spanish word bajio means
shoal, shallow waters, or sandbank, while the
Spanish word bajo means low or short.
This map appears in The Luso-Hispanico

1785 Isole Filippine

Published in 1785 in Venice by Antonio Zatta,

this map is entitled Isole Filippine. This map
is based on the Murillo map although there is no
such acknowledgment in the map. Panacot
shoal appears in this map as in the Murillo
map. This digital reproduction is from Barry
Lawrence Ruderman
Antique Maps, Inc.
(http://www.raremaps.com/gallery/detail/33827).

1786 Atlas de DAnville

Published in 1786 in Paris by Jean Baptiste B.

DAnville as part of his Atlas de DAnville, this
map is entitled Seconde Partie de la Carte D
Asie or Second Part of the Map of Asia. The
map shows Sumatra, Java, Borneo, Moluccas,
the Philippines and Japan. The first part of the
map of Asia is basically the 1734 China map of
DAnville. DAnvilles Atlas was later reprinted by Robert Sayer, Laurie and Whittle, and
others. This map shows Panacot shoal. In the
later reprinted maps of Sayer, and Laurie &
Whittle, Panacot is called Scarborough shoal.
This digital reproduction is from the National

1734 Carte la plus Generale et qui Comprehend la Chine, la Tartarie Chinoise,

et le Thibet or A General Map that Includes China, Chinese Tartary and Tibet

1792 Plano de la Navigacion Bajo de Masinloc

This is the route of the navigation taken by Alessandro Malaspina when he

surveyed Scarborough Shoal on 4 May 1792 aboard the Sta. Lucia. In his
Journal, Malaspina wrote: On (this shoal) Spanish and foreign ships have been

Published in Madrid by the Direccion de

Hidrografica from the surveys of the Malaspina
Expedition, this 1792 chart (plano de la
navigacion) is the route of the navigation
taken by Alessandro Malaspinas ship Sta.
Lucia when Malaspina surveyed what the
chart states as Bajo Masinloc o
Scarborough. On May 4, 1792, the day he
surveyed Bajo Masinloc, Alessandro Malaspina
wrote in his Journal on (this shoal) Spanish and
foreign ships have been lost. This digital
reproduction is from the archives of the Museo
Naval de Madrid, copied by the Philippine

1794 Asia and its Islands according to DAnville

Published in 1794 in London by Robert Laurie

and James Whittle, this map is entitled Asia
and its Islands according to DAnville. The
map says that the delineations and discoveries
made by Captain Cook are incorporated in the
map. The maps shows Scarborough shoal.
This digital reproduction is from the National
Library of Australia (Bib ID 2133866, map-rm
1865).

1808 Carta General del Archipielago de Filipinas

Published in 1808 in Madrid by the Direccion de

Hidrografica from the surveys of the Malaspina
Expedition, this map is entitled Carta General
del Archipielago de Filipinas. The shoal is
called Bajo de Masingloc but the map also
adds
o
Scarborough.
This
digital
reproduction is from the archives of the Museo
Naval de Madrid (CCS-114-M-2012).

1818 Asia

Published in 1818 in Philadelphia, U.S.A. by

John Pinkerton, this map is entitled Asia. The
map shows Scarborough shoal. This digital
reproduction is from the U.S. Library of
Congress (Catalogue No. 2006636622, Digital
ID g7400 ct1990).

1852 Islas Filipinas

Published in 1852 in Madrid by Antonio Morata

and D. Francisco Coello, this map is entitled
Islas Filipinas. The maps shows Bajo
Masinloc. This digital reproduction is from the
National Library of Australia (Bin ID 3639193,
map-rm1608).

1861-1865 Esferica del Oceano Indio

Published in 1861 and 1865 in Madrid by the

Direccion de Hidrografica, this map is entitled
Carta Esferica del Oceano Indio. The map
shows
B.
Masingloc.
This
digital
reproduction is from the National Library of
Australia (Bib ID 122670, map-rm2237).

1866 Plano del Bajo Masingloc

Published in 1866 by E. Wilds, the Commander

of the English warship Swallow, this map is
entitled Plano del Bajo Masingloc. This
digital reproduction is from the archives of the
Museo Naval de Madrid, copied by the
Philippine Embassy in Madrid.

1867 Carta General del Archipielago Filipino

Published in 1867 in Madrid by the Direccion de

Hidrograpfica, this map is entitled Carta
General del Archipielago Filipino. This map
shows Bajo Masingloc o Scarborough. There
is an inset of Scarborough shoal (1866 map of
Commander Wilds) on the lower left side of the
map. This digital reproduction is from the archives
of the Museo Naval de Madrid, copied by the
Philippine Embassy in Madrid.

1875 Carta General del Archipielago Filipino

Published in 1875 in Madrid by the Direccion de

Hidrographia, this map is entitled Carta
General del Archipielago Filipino. The map
shows B. Masingloc o Scarborough. This
digital reproduction is from the archives of the
Museo Naval de Madrid, copied by the
Philippine Embassy in Madrid.

1897 Carta General

del Oceano Pacifico

Published in 1897 in Madrid by the Seccion de

Hidrographia, this map is entitled Carta
General del Oceano Pacifico. The map shows
B. Masingloc o Scarborough. This digital
reproduction is from the National Library of
Australia (Bib ID 1449962, map-rm3380).

1899 Islas Filipinas, Mapa General Observatorio de Manila.

Published in 1899 in Washington, D.C. by the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey.

Published in 1899 in Washington, D.C. by the

Jesuit Jose P. Algue and the U.S. Coast and
Geodetic Survey, this map is entitled Islas
Filipinas Mapa General Observatorio de
Manila. The map shows B. Masinloc. This
digital reproduction is from the Atlas de
Filipinas, Internet Archive, Ohio State
University
Library,
(https://archive.org/details/AtlasDeFilipinasColle
ccionDe30MapasTrabajadosPorDelineantes;
ark:/13960/t2d804v8j).

1908 Map of the

Philippine Islands.

Published in 1908 in Baltimore, MD U.S.A. by

Caspar Hodgson, this map is entitled Map of
the Philippine Islands. The map shows
Scarborough shoal. This digital reproduction
is from the U.S. Library of Congress (Catalogue
No. 2013590196, Digital ID g8060 ct003965).

1933 & 1940

Philippine Islands

Published in 1933 in Manila and reissued in

1940 in Washington, D.C. by the U.S. Coast and
Geodetic Survey, this map is entitled
Philippine Islands. The map shows
Scarborough shoal with depth soundings.
This digital reproduction is from the U.S.
Library
of
Congress
(Catalogue
No.
2011592026, Digital ID g8061p ct003542).

All these maps of the Philippines, from 1636 to

1940, a period of 304 years, consistently show
Scarborough Shoal, whether named or unnamed,
as part of the Philippines. Colonial
administrators,
navigators,
cartographers,
historians, seamen, voyagers, and fishermen
have all through the centuries considered
Scarborough Shoal as part of the Philippines.

The Chinese Embassy

website in Manila claims:

Huangyan Island was first discovered and

drew (sic) into China's map in China's Yuan
Dynasty (1271-1368 AD). In 1279, Chinese
astronomer Guo Shoujing performed
surveying of the seas around China for
Kublai Khan, and Huangyan Island was
chosen as the point in the South China
(Emphasis
supplied)
TheSea.
alleged
visit of Gou
Shoujing to Scarborough
Shoal in 1279 is the only historical link that China
claims to Scarborough Shoal. Apparently, China is
using Guo Shoujings alleged visit in 1279 as basis
for enclosing Scarborough Shoal within the 9dashed lines.

Huangyan Island was first discovered and drew into China's map in China's Yuan
Dynasty(1271-1368AD). In 1279, Chinese astronomer Guo Shoujing performed
surveying of the seas around China for Kublai Khan, and Huangyan Island was
chosen as the point in the South China Sea.

However, in a document entitled Chinas

Sovereignty Over Xisha and Zhongsa Islands Is
Indisputable issued on January 30, 1980, Chinas
Ministry of Foreign Affairs officially declared
that the Nanhai island that Guo Shoujing visited
in 1279 was in Xisha or what is internationally
called the Paracels, a group of islands more
than 380 NM from Scarborough Shoal. China
issued this official document to bolster its claim
to the Paracels to counter Vietnams strong
historical claims to the same islands.

This Chinese official document,

Published in Beijing Review,
Vol. 23, Issue No. 7 dated
February 18, 1980, states:

Early in the Yuan Dynasty, an astronomical

observation was carried out at 27 places
throughout the country. In the 16th year of the
reign of Zhiyuan (1279) Kublai Khan or Emperor
Shi Zu, (sic) personally assigned Guo Shoujing,
the famous astronomer and Deputy Director of the
Astronomical Bureau, to do the observation in the
South China Sea. According to the official
History of the Yuan Dynasty, Nanhai, Gous
observation point, was to the south of Zhuya
and the result of the survey showed that the
latitude of Nanhai is 15N. The astronomical
observation point Nanhai was todays Xisha
Islands. It shows that Xisha Islands were

Chinas Indisputable
Sovereignty Over Xisha
And Nansha Islands

Based on the existing Gaocheng Observatory built

in 1276 by Guo Shoujing in Henan Province, Guo
Shoujings 27 observatories were massive 12.6
meter high stone structures. The purpose of the
observatories was to accurately determine the
duration of the calendar year. To operate such an
observatory, one had to visit the sundial on the
ground, and the instruments at the top of the
observatory, everyday of the year to take
measurements. There was simply no way at that
time that such an observatory could have been
built and operated on the tiny rocks of
Scarborough Shoal.

The 12.6 Meter High Gaocheng Observatory in Henan Province,

one of the 27 observatories built by Guo Shoujing throughout China

Guo Shoujing

China cannot now claim that Scarborough Shoal is

the Nanhai Island that Guo Shoujing visited in
1279 because China had already used this
argument against Vietnam in 1980.

In short, it is both physically and legally

impossible for Scarborough Shoal to be Nanhai
Island physically because no observatory could
possibly have been installed in 1279 on the tiny
rocks of Scarborough Shoal, and legally because
China has already declared that Nanhai Island is in
the Paracels, more than 380 NM away from
Scarborough Shoal.

Scarborough Shoal as Impact Range

Unexploded ordnance in the waters of Scarborough Shoal, which

was used as impact range by American and Philippine warplanes
from the 1960s to the 1980s. Photo taken by Scott Tuason.

Philippine
Navy
Noticeexercise
to Mariners
in September
1981
Bombing and
gunnery
using live
ammunition
have
taken place at 15 degrees 07 minutes North, 117 degrees 46
minutes East within 20 mile radius. The exercises are
conducted more or less on a daily basis and likely to
continue indefinitely.

The Philippine Navy issued a Notice to Mariners on 18 September

1981 warning mariners that the U.S. Navy would undertake gunnery
Source: Bajo de Masinloc, Maps and Documents, U.P. Institute for Maritime Affairs and Law of the Sea/NAMRIA, 2014
and bombing exercises in Scarborough Shoal.

a
i t
t
n e
Bureau of Coast and Geodetic
i
g d
o
r tSurvey, Notice to Mariners,
n
a o
a
February 24, 1983
n m
l
g o
w
e n
a
s i
r
a t
n
r o
i
e r
n
b V
g
o H
s
u F
t
n C
o
d h
a a
l
s n
l
f n
m
o e
a
l l
r
l 1
i
o 6
n
w ,
Source: Bajo de Masinloc, Maps and Documents, U.P. Institute for Maritime Affairs and Law of the Sea/NAMRIA, 2014
e
s 5

Philippine Coast Pilot, Part 1: Sailing Instructions for the

Coasts of Luzon, Mindoro and Visayas Islands, 1968
SCARBOROUGH SHOAL

A US Naval Operating Area has been established in this area

within a circle of 20 miles radius centered in latitude 15
o8 N., 117 45 E.

Source: Bajo de Masinloc, Maps and Documents, U.P. Institute for Maritime Affairs and Law of the Sea/NAMRIA, 2014

Scarborough Shoal

Scarborough Shoal

As an island, Scarborough Shoal is entitled to a 12 NM territorial sea around

it. This amounts to 155,165 hectares of maritime space, more than twice the
land area of Metro Manila of 63,600 hectares.

What is the legal basis

of the Philippines
claim to Scarborough Shoal?

The 1898 Treaty of Paris between Spain and

the United States drew a rectangular line
wherein Spain ceded to the United States all
of Spains territories found within the treaty
lines. Scarborough Shoal is outside the treaty
lines.

However, two years later, in the 1900 Treaty of

Washington, Spain clarified that it had also
relinquished to the United States all title and claim
of title, which (Spain) may have had at the time of
the conclusion of the Treaty of Peace of Paris, to
lying
outside
the
lines
any and all islands belonging to the Philippine
Archipelago, lying outside the lines of the Treaty
of Paris. Thus, Spain ceded Scarborough Shoal to
the United States under the 1900 Treaty of
Washington (Treaty between Spain and the United
Outlying
Islands
the Philippines
States
for Cession
of of
Outlying
Islands of the
Philippines).

In 1938 the U.S. Had Already Determined

Scarborough Shoal Is Part of Philippine Territory

When the issue of whether

Scarborough Shoal forms part of
Philippine territory, Secretary
Cordell Hull of the U.S. State
Department stated in his
Memorandum of July 27,

The Philippines exercised effective, continuous,

open and public sovereignty over Scarborough
Shoal since the Spanish colonial period, as shown
in ancient maps and by actual use of the shoal.

Conclusion

Clearly, there is nothing historical,

factual, or right about Chinas 9-dashed
lines claim. Actual historical facts, based on
Chinas own ancient maps, Constitutions, and
official
international
pronouncements,
contradict Chinas 9-dashed lines claim to the
South China Sea.
As late as the 1930s, China had not claimed
the Spratlys. China officially claimed the

China has no historical link whatsoever to

Scarborough Shoal. There is no ancient map
showing Scarborough Shoal as part of China.
Chinas claim that Guo Shoujing established
an observatory in Scarborough Shoal in 1279
is obviously false.
On the other hand, Scarborough Shoal has
historically been part of the Philippines since
at least 1636 as shown in ancient maps.

End