The Philippine government’s new visa policy for Chinese visitors,
which took effect Monday, would cover old and new passports,
specifically those that display a map that includes an area in the West
Philippine Sea where Beijing is asserting ownership, the Department of
Foreign Affairs said.
The move came after China
recently came out with new electronic passports bearing a map that
outlines its expansive claim of the South China Sea [West Philippine
Sea] through a so-called nine-dash line, a U-shaped map that covers
nearly 90 percent of the waters and overlaps with the sovereign
territories of its Southeast Asian neighbors like the Philippines,
Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei.
In a bid to
denigrate China’s latest attempt to bolster its claim, the DFA has
instructed all its diplomatic missions abroad to implement the new
regulation “as soon as possible.”
As of Monday, Philippine diplomatic posts began stamping Philippine visas on a separate form and not on the Chinese passports.
Old Chinese passports are covered under the new visa policy to avoid
confusion, Foreign Affairs spokesman Raul Hernandez explained.
“If somebody applied for a visa in Beijing, we will immediately place
or stamp our visa on a separate sheet of paper, “ Hernandez told a press
briefing, adding the DFA expects the Bureau of Immigration “to stamp
the entry and exit visa on that same separate form” when Chinese
visitors arrive in the country.
China, Vietnam,
Philippines Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan have long disputed ownership of
the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, a chain of islands, cays,
reefs and atolls believed to be rich in oil and gas.
Last year, the Philippines and Vietnam separately accused Chinese
vessels of intruding into their territories in and near the Spratlys off
the West Philippine Sea and of disrupting their oil exploration
activities.
Amid opposition from Beijing, Manila
has considered to elevate its disputes with China to a mediation body
in the United Nations.
China maintains it has sovereignty in those areas on historical grounds, saying it has old maps to back its claim. — Michaela del Callar/RSJ, GMA News
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