Paracel, Spratly not on China’s official map

The map reaffirms Vietnam’s indisputable sovereignty of Paracel and Spratly archipelagos

A Vietnamese historian named Mai Ngoc Hong last week presented Vietnam’s National Museum of History a century-old map which clearly shows that China has no claim to Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagos in the East Sea as China only stretched as far south as Hainan Island.

Published in 1904 by Shanghai Publishing House, the map backs up Viet Nam’s ownership of Paracel and Spratly islands by showing these archipelagos were not part of Chinese territory.

It is a colour-coded paper map having a carton-paper cover and can be opened like a book. The map covered all provinces of China’s Qing dynasty, which was this country’s last imperial dynasty ruling from 1644 to 1912. The map’s introduction was penned by the director of a Chinese observatory.

Respected Vietnamese historian Duong Trung Quoc, vice chairman of Vietnam History Science Association, said this map provided more authentic evidence to affirm Vietnam’s sovereignty over Paracel and Spratly archipelagos.

After seeing the map, Susan Bailey from the United Kingdom’s Cambridge University, said Vietnam discovered a very new document which showed a clear scientific background.

Hong, who is former head of the Institute for the Study of Chinese and Demotic Scripts and Cultures’ library, said he bought this map more than 30 years ago from an old man and then kept it in the library. He accidentally found it recently while checking his old books at the library.

“This map was not made by an individual or a locality, but by the Chinese king and scientists. This map’s legality clearly demonstrates Vietnam’s sovereignty over the two archipelagos. Thus the map is an undeniable historical evidence,” Hong said.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) stated Vietnam had all clear historical evidence about the country’s sovereignty over the two archipelagos. At the recent Phnom Penh-based 45th ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting and related meetings, MoFA Minister Pham Binh Minh raised Vietnam’s concern over recent complications in the East Sea and China’s establishment of Sansha city and international invitation for bids at nine lots within Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone and continental shelf.

He affirmed the necessity to comply with international laws, especially the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the 2002 Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC).