World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has removed the “nine-dash line” from a heatwave map posted on its Facebook page on Saturday. 

UN organization edited its post about the ongoing heatwaves in China and removed the “nine-dash line” while only showing the mainland part of the country. This call was taken after Vietnam had asked WMO to remove the infamous nine-dash line to respect its sovereignty in the East Sea, VnExpress Newspaper reported.

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At a press meeting on Thursday, Vietnam Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Le Thi Thu Hang called for WMO’s attention on the matter and dismissed the “so-called nine-dash line.”

“Vietnam has repeatedly dismissed the so-called nine-dash line as well as other maritime statements that go against international laws and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (1982),” she said.

The Foreign Ministry spokesperson said nations and organizations around the world must “remove and edit unsuitable content” that violates Vietnam’s sovereignty.

All forms of propaganda and distribution of content and images that violate Vietnam’s sovereignty over the Truong Sa (Spratly) and Hoang Sa (Paracels) islands, as well as Vietnam’s jurisdiction over the relevant waters, are “invalid,” she was quoted as saying by the Vietnamese newspaper.

The nine-dash line, at various times also referred to as the ten-dash line and the eleven-dash line has been used by China to illegally claim huge swathes of the South China Sea, known in Vietnam as the East Sea.

Beijing’s self-claimed line has been internationally condemned and rejected as it has no legal basis internationally.

With the growing assertiveness of China in the South China Sea region, the discontent of South East Asian countries has amplified.

Owing to Beijing’s imperialistic attitude in the region, the resentment in these ASEAN countries has been on the rise since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Writing for Insideover, Italian expert Federico Giuliani contended that there are reasons for South East Asian countries to be wary of China as Beijing stepped up its hegemony in the region and mounted pressure on littoral countries.

According to Giuliani, the grievances of the ASEAN nations are not only limited to their sovereignty. Chinese encroachment on the vast reserves of natural gas and oil strips them of valuable marine resources that can boost their economic development.

The author points out how Beijing issues direct threats of military attack if ASEAN countries do not stop their activities of oil drilling or exploration. China sends its vessels across the South China Sea, often violating maritime boundaries, and takes over disputed islands to build military bases.

Chinese aeroplanes also carry out incursions in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of these nations, Giuliani adds.

It has even threatened countries like Malaysia, Indonesia, and Vietnam for even carrying out economic activities such as drilling in their own maritime territories that are authorised by The Hague’s international arbitration court,

Exerts believes that Beijing is fast losing trust among the South East Asian countries.