BEIJING - The Philippine government's move to rename a portion of the South China Sea has violated the international standardization of geographic names and will not be accepted by the international community, Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said Friday.
The name "South China Sea" has long been acknowledged by the international community, and the Philippines has also accepted and used this name in the past, Hong said at a regular news briefing.
"China has repeatedly urged the Philippines to stop such man-made disputes that complicate the situation in the South China Sea," Hong said.
On Sept 5, Philippine President Benigno Aquino III signed an administrative order to formally name a maritime area in the western part of the country as the "West Philippine Sea", including part of the South China Sea.
According to the order, the West Philippine Sea includes the Luzon Sea and waters adjacent to the Nansha Islands and Huangyan Island.
The Philippine government said it will provide the United Nations with a copy of the order and a revised official map of the Philippines.
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