China has upset many countries in the Asia-Pacific region with its release of a new official map that lays claim to most of the South China Sea, as well as to contested parts of India and Russia, and official objections continue to mount. What is the map, and why is it upsetting people so much?

It seems significant, then, that Beijing chose to release the map on the heels of a late August meeting of the BRICS nations — Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa – and just before China is to participate in top-level meetings of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the Group of 20 rich and developing nations.

In releasing the map now, Beijing is widely seen as signaling it has no intention of backing down on any of its claims and is making sure that its positions are fresh in the minds of other countries in the region.

    • stereofony@lemm.ee
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      1 year ago

      For the record, I’m Taiwanese and American and think it’s cool you’re learning Mandarin and have an appreciation for Chinese people! I similarly disapprove of the CCP for obvious reasons.

      However, your statement about the US is complete whitewashing – and I don’t blame you; it’s what we were falsely taught to believe. The US has a notorious legacy of destabilizing foreign governments to suit its own agenda (sometimes then installing sockpuppet US-friendly leaders or just leaving the country in chaos). And then this is all done in the very nicely PR-rebranded effort of “democracy” while US imperialism is well-known and well-documented throughout its history.

      https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_involvement_in_regime_change

      And it’s not just history; it’s still ongoing. Look at the sockpuppet US-backed South Korean government and public utilities, or the ongoing US-facilitated destruction of the Middle East that started decades ago. Or its weird Zionist segment that continues to blindly support Israel despite Israel committing apartheid against Palestinians, following the US playbook.

    • TokenBoomer@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Have you lived in China? I like Mexico and Mexican people, but I have never lived in Mexico. So I really shouldn’t make judgements about their government without knowing that it is true.