Google Maps recently labeled part of the western Philippine archipelago as the "West Philippine Sea" instead of the internationally recognized "South China Sea," sparking public concern.
Zhang Qiyue, assistant to the director and assistant research fellow at the Institute of Global Governance, Shanghai Institutes for International Studies, stated that the unilateral renaming is a serious breach of international conventions and geographical reality, reflecting that a tech company is being reduced to a geopolitical tool. The timing of Google Maps label change reflects a certain coordination between the U.S. economic strategy and geopolitical maneuvers targeting China, underscoring the relationship between the U.S. and the Philippines, as they seek to advance their so-called "common interests", in an attempt to stir up troubles in the South China Sea.(Guan Na)