The National Geographic Society (NGS)has acknowledged that denoting the Hoang Sa archipelago with theChinese name and the word “ China ” without further explanation can bemisleading or misinterpreted.
The Society made the acknowledgment in a press release issued on March16, explaining its posting of the online world map on which itdesignates the Chinese name of “Xisha Qundao” with the word “ China ”in the Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelago of Vietnam athttp://www.natgeomaps.com .
“We have carefully reviewed the situation and recognized that simplydenoting the archipelago with the Chinese name and the word ‘ China ’in parenthesis without further explanation can be misleading andmisinterpreted,” the press release said.
The NGS said that in its regional and other maps of sufficient scale,it specifically recognises and designates the alternative Vietnamesename “Hoang Sa” and the traditional name “ Paracel Islands ” for thearchipelago.
On March 13, Vietnamese foreign ministry’s spokesperson Nguyen PhuongNga claimed that “the world map denoting ‘Paracel Is. China ’ publishedby the National Geographic is wrong” and requested that the societycorrect this mistake.
In its press release, the NGS said in the future it will either providethe additional explanation that is included on its other maps, or willomit any designation.
The press release was posted on the NGS’s website./.
The Society made the acknowledgment in a press release issued on March16, explaining its posting of the online world map on which itdesignates the Chinese name of “Xisha Qundao” with the word “ China ”in the Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelago of Vietnam athttp://www.natgeomaps.com .
“We have carefully reviewed the situation and recognized that simplydenoting the archipelago with the Chinese name and the word ‘ China ’in parenthesis without further explanation can be misleading andmisinterpreted,” the press release said.
The NGS said that in its regional and other maps of sufficient scale,it specifically recognises and designates the alternative Vietnamesename “Hoang Sa” and the traditional name “ Paracel Islands ” for thearchipelago.
On March 13, Vietnamese foreign ministry’s spokesperson Nguyen PhuongNga claimed that “the world map denoting ‘Paracel Is. China ’ publishedby the National Geographic is wrong” and requested that the societycorrect this mistake.
In its press release, the NGS said in the future it will either providethe additional explanation that is included on its other maps, or willomit any designation.
The press release was posted on the NGS’s website./.
