A dispute over an island in the South China Sea escalated on Wednesday after Google removed the Chinese name.
"We made the fix in line with our long-standing global policy on depicting disputed regions in a way that does not endorse or affirm the position taken by any side," a Google spokesperson
told CNN.
"We understand that geographic names can raise deep emotions which is why we worked quickly once this was brought to our attention," the company said in an
email to the BBC.
Google Maps had originally listed the island as part of China's Zhongsha Islands. The island, called Huangyan Island by China has now been renamed Scarborough Shoal on Google Maps. The island is also sometimes known as Panatag Shoal by the Philippines.
The dispute came to a head in 2012, when both China and the Philippines staged a tense standoff, in which both country's vessels refused to leave.
In 2013, the Philippines filed a case against China's territorial claim with the United Nations, however China has refused to participate in the proceedings.
Hua Chunying, a Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman, said Tuesday that the Philippines must negotiate with it directly — not through a third party such as the UN.
In addition to the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Taiwan have their own territorial disputes with China, primarily over reefs, shoals, and small islands.
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