Philippines Will Start Stamping Chinese Passports for First Time in 7 Years
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The Philippines will resume stamping Chinese passports featuring a map of the heavily disputed nine-dash line within the South China Sea, the country’s Bureau of Immigration said.
The practice of stamping Chinese passports was halted seven years ago amid growing tensions in the sea after a standoff between Filipino and Chinese vessels set off a chain of diplomatic incidents. At the time, China introduced a new type of passport with the historic nine-dash line that marks its claim to islands also claimed by the Philippines. Refusing to endorse the passport, customs officials were instead ordered to stamp a separate sheet of paper inserted into passports.