Israel missing from Chinese digital maps

China has reportedly removed Israel from its leading online maps run by companies like Alibaba and Baidu. According to a report by the Wall Street Journal, while Baidu’s Chinese language digital maps have demarcated the internationally recognised border between Israel and Palestine, the former is not clearly identified by its name.

Similarly, online maps produced by Alibaba have omitted Israel’s name. Although it’s unclear whether the omissions were made recently, Chinese netizens say the changes are in place since the war broke out in Israel. While China has reiterated its support for a ceasefire between Israel and Palestine to avoid “further escalation” of human suffering, last week Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said, “Every country has the right to self-defense but should abide by international humanitarian law and protect civilians.” In both Israel and the Palestinian territories, China claims that it “opposes and condemns” violence against civilians. “China is highly concerned about the recent escalation of conflict between Palestine and Israel,” foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning says, adding that Beijing “is deeply saddened by the civilian casualties caused by the conflict, and opposes and condemns actions that harm civilians.”