Nations have begun to rally in defense of “freedom of navigation” around the South China Sea most of which is claimed by a nine-dashed line (initially 11 dashes by a Chinese idealist in 1936). As controversy builds around the issue, prominent Chinese scholars have come forward to debunk this ox-tongue demarcation that a Republic of China official sketched on his personal map reflecting his opinion that Chinese fishermen extended their country’s sovereignty where they fished.

Among the nations leading the rally in defense of the global commons are Vietnam, the Philippines, the United States and Japan. Meanwhile, the ten-member ASEAN (Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam) expressed support of such action in the 2015 ASEAN conference hosted by Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur.

ASEAN Secretary General Le Luong Minh spoke on behalf of member nations willing to rally in defense of the South China Sea. His statement was a rebuke to China’s building of artificial islands in the contested area.

Read more: http://www.inquisitr.com/2773053/nations-rally-in-defense-of-south-china-sea-threatened-by-chinas-nine-dashed-line-which-even-chinese-scholars-refute/