The map is the story: the U-shaped line in western news media coverage of the geopolitics of the South China Sea

ABSTRACT

China’s claim to a large part of the South China Sea (SCS) is indicated by a specific cartographic convention, the U-shaped (or dashed) line, shown on its official maps. The line has become an important element in Western popular discourse concerning the geopolitics of the SCS. This paper argues that the cartographic re-presentation of the U-shaped line in the Western press contributes to an ‘orientalist’ conception that portrays China as ‘other’; as aggressive and unwilling to ‘play by the rules’, and a portrayal of the whole region as potentially unstable. Its re-circulation may, however, work to China’s advantage by reinforcing cartographic precedent and creating a specific ‘geographic imagination’ of the SCS. Maps are regarded as an important element in the ‘spectacle of fear’ propagated by the West, with the representations of the SCS shown to be part of a wider use of maps by the press to cover issues related to geopolitics and conflict.

RÉSUMÉ

Les revendications de la chine à propos d’une partie de la mer de chine méridionale (SCS) sont représentées par une convention cartographique spécifique, une ligne (ou pointillés) en forme de U représentée sur les cartes officielles. Cette ligne est devenue un élément important dans le discours populaire en Occident lorsqu’il est question de géopolitique concernant la mer de chine méridionale. Ce papier défend l’idée que la re-présentation cartographique de la ligne en forme de U utilisée dans la presse occidentale participe à une conception ‘orientaliste’ qui décrit la Chine comme ‘autre’, comme un pays agressif et peu disposé à ‘jouer le jeu’ et qui donne un portrait de toute la région comme étant potentiellement instable. Sa re-circulation peut toutefois jouer en faveur de la chine en consolidant un précédant cartographique et en créant un ‘imaginaire géographique’ spécifique à la mer de chine orientale. Les cartes sont considérées comme un élément important du ‘spectacle de la peur’ propagé par l’Occident, les représentations de la mer de chine orientale font partie d’un large usage par la presse pour couvrir les questions liées à la géopolitique et aux conflits.

KEYWORDS:

• Geopolitics
• cartography
• news-media

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes on contributor

Peter Vujakovic is professor of Geography in the School of Human and Life Sciences at Canterbury Christ Church University. His research in cartography spans the local (mapping for disability access), to the global (development and environmental education, geopolitics and the news media). He is currently working on children's sense of place (the Meaningful Maps Project). He is the former editor of the Cartographic Journal and a current Associate Editor, and a contributor to the Times Comprehensive Atlas of the World. He is the co-editor (with Dr Alex Kent) of the Routledge Handbook of Mapping and Cartography published in 2018.

Notes

1 http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/making-mischief-in-the-south-china-sea-20160715-gq6knp.html accessed 10/07/2017.

2 US builds up arms at sea to halt China, The Sunday Times, 31 May 2015, p. 28.

3 South China Sea dispute: Hague Tribunal finds China has no ‘historic title’, David Wroe JULY 12 2016, SYDNEY MORNING HERALD http://www.smh.com.au/world/south-china-sea-dispute-hague-tribunal-finds-china-has-no-historic-title-20160712-gq4bnm.html, and http://www.smh.com.au/world/high-stakes-on-the-high-seas-philippines-v-china-20160630-gpvgqm.html, accessed 30/06/2017.

4 Daily chart - The South China Sea Jul 12th 2016, 12:56, http://www.economist.com/blogs/graphicdetail/2016/07/daily-chart-5, accessed 10/07/2017.