China Denies Erasing Israel From Its Maps

China has denied erasing Israel from the mapping services offered by tech companies Baidu and Alibaba.

"You should know that China and Israel have normal diplomatic relations. Regarding the relevant issues you mentioned, the relevant countries are clearly marked on the standard map issued by the Chinese competent authorities, which you can check," said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin in a press briefing on Tuesday.

The standard map is China's official map released by the Ministry of Natural Resources.

In the past few days, some Chinese social media users and users of X, formerly Twitter, pointed out that Israel was not marked on Baidu and Alibaba maps.

The Wall Street Journal on Tuesday published a story saying, "Internet users in China are expressing bewilderment that the name Israel doesn't appear on leading online digital maps from Baidu and Alibaba."

But the Journal further added, "It is worth noting that it is unclear whether the development is new."

Now, an independent investigation by Newsweek has clarified that maps by Baidu and Alibaba did not feature Israel or Gaza by name even before the current conflict started.

Newsweek looked at archived images from Baidu and Amaps (Alibaba maps) showing the Middle East, and found that they stopped showing Israel or Gaza on their services before the conflict began in October.

A separate investigation by Zichen Wang, a research fellow at the Center for China and Globalization in Beijing, and Jia Yuxuan, a research associate at the center, wrote on Pekingnology, a newsletter about China, that archived webpages of articles from the Chinese website Zhihu show that Israel hasn't appeared on Baidu or Alibaba maps since May 2021.

Following the surprise attack by Hamas on October 7 in southern Israel that killed 1,400 people, with an estimated 239 people kidnapped as hostages, Israel airstrikes and ground attacks have led to the deaths of more than 8,500 Palestinians in Gaza, according to The Associated Press per the Gaza Health Ministry,

The Chinese Foreign Ministry on Tuesday tried to strike a balance between its position on calling for a ceasefire in the Gaza conflict and expressing support for Israel's right to self-defense.

"All countries have the right to self-defense, but they should abide by international law, especially international humanitarian law, and protect the safety of civilians. Every life is precious, and the lives of the Palestinian people, like those of other countries, should be protected," Wang said.