Philippines protests image in Chinese e-passports

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — The Philippines has protested China's depiction of its claims over the entire South China Sea in an image of a map printed on newly issued Chinese e-passports.

In a note he sent to the Chinese Embassy in Manila that he read to reporters Thursday, Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario said Manila "strongly protests" Beijing's inclusion in the new passport of the image, which shows China's claimed maritime borders.

Del Rosario says China's claims include an area that is "clearly part of the Philippines' territory and maritime domain."

The two countries' long-running territorial dispute has been simmering following a tense standoff between Chinese and Philippine ships at a shoal west of the main island of Luzon early this year.