The absence of the country's name on Chinese online maps is considered a hint at the PRC's attitude to the war waged by Israel against Hamas.
Chinese netizens have noticed that the name of Israel has disappeared from online world maps available in China.
The Wall Street Journal reports this.
In particular, Israel no longer appears on maps of the Chinese search engine Baidu and online maps of Alibaba's Amap.
At the same time, the internationally recognized borders of the country remained inviolable, only the name was missing. At the same time, the names of other states, including such small ones as Luxembourg or Monaco, are still indicated.
“This ambiguity is consistent with Beijing's vague diplomacy in the region and contrasts with its focus on maps in general,” the WSJ noted.
The publication recalls that for many years the Chinese government has been charging fines for “incorrect” cards appearing on the Chinese Internet, for example, on hotel websites. This policy is associated with Beijing’s numerous territorial claims, in particular in the South China Sea, which the authorities demand to designate with a dotted line as the country’s internal waters.
China's attitude to Israel's war with Hamas
The day after the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, the Chinese Foreign Ministry expressed concern about the “escalation between Israel and Palestine,” and shortly after, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that Tel Aviv’s actions went “beyond self-defense” and “ violate the main norms of international law.”
China has since deployed six warships to the Middle East amid fears that the conflict between Hamas and Israel could escalate into a world war.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping called for the creation of an independent Palestinian state, calling it a “fundamental way out” of the war.
Let us recall that the head of the Politburo of the terrorist organization Hamas thanked Russia and China for their support at the UN Security Council.
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