BEIJING, Nov. 4 (Xinhua) -- Baidu Maps says it has not labeled the names of Palestine and Israel on its world map for technical reasons, countering the narrative that political motive is at play.
"Where space is limited, our maps may not display the names or flags of some territories. Users can find corresponding countries or areas on Baidu Maps by simply using the map's search function," Baidu Maps says in a written statement to Xinhua.
Some users said they found that Palestine and Israel were not identified on Baidu's world map, despite the correct labeling of borders and their respective cities. The claim spurred speculation about whether political reasons were behind such an arrangement at the time of war between Israel and Palestine.
A separate source familiar with the situation explains to Xinhua that Baidu follows standard maps issued by the Chinese Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR), which identifies both Palestine and Israel.
When adapting the MNR map for its website, Baidu Maps left a handful of countries and territories unidentified because of limited spacing. A Xinhua inspection discovered that aside from Palestine and Israel, Vatican City and a few Caribbean countries are also unidentified.
On the MNR standard map, the names of 26 countries or territories, including many in the Balkans and the Caribbean, are not labeled on their respective locations but listed on the side with corresponding numbers. Baidu managed to identify most of the 26 countries or territories on its world map, but not all.
Archived webpages also indicate that the absence of Israel and a few others can be traced back to May 2021, further countering the narrative that the Chinese map service made the change amid intense fighting between the two sides or that a political motive is behind the arrangement. ■
