Asian countries protest over Chinese passports

Philippines and Vietnam have protested over Chinese passports in which a map of China includes disputed islands in the South China Sea.The Chinese government began issuing the passports in May.Philippine government officials lodged a protest on Wednesday. They said a dotted line on the map encompasses the disputed islands, making them look as though they belong to China.

Vietnamese officials lodged a protest on Thursday. They said the map violates Vietnam's sovereignty. They demanded the Chinese delete the dotted line.Taiwanese officials lodged a protest on Friday. They said a picture in the passports shows a sightseeing spot in Taiwanese territory as though it is part of China.

A spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry said Friday that Taiwan is part of China. The spokesperson said the map in the passport does not highlight any particular country and urged governments to deal with the matter rationally.A spokesperson for the Japanese Embassy in Beijing said the passports do not show islands claimed by Japan and China in the East China Sea as belonging to China.