By Li Haidong

The UN General Assembly on September 4 adopted an important resolution by a vote of 164 in favor, 1 against, and 6 abstentions, encouraging countries to replace world maps drawn using the Mercator projection with new maps created under the Equal Earth project that more accurately reflect the actual area of each continent. The old-style Mercator map artificially enlarged regions such as North America and Europe while shrinking the true areas of developing regions such as Africa and South America, and has long drawn criticism.

The adoption of this resolution demonstrates a firm consensus within the international community: objective and accurate representation must be the sole standard for mapmaking and map use. At a time when the international order is undergoing profound adjustments and evolving in a more just and equitable direction, the international implications of this resolution merit close reexamination.

First, the replacement of the world map reflects significant shifts in the international balance of power. Created in 1569, the Mercator world map long served the needs of Western overseas colonial expansion and helped reinforce the West's so-called "dominant" position in the world, embodying a host of dark elements such as plunder and the pursuit of absolute dominance. It accompanied centuries of Western plunder of the populations and resources of non-Western countries during the "Age of Discovery" and served as a functional tool for unrestrained Western maritime expansion throughout modern and contemporary history, bearing witness to the brutal process in which Western powers carried out conquests in the name of "civilization" and "progress." 

The Mercator map strikingly accentuated the "vastness" and "grandeur" of Western countries while "dwarfing" the geographical presence of non-Western countries, unreasonably enlarging Europe and North America while visibly shrinking Africa and South America. Its political underpinnings reveal the absurd logic behind Western attempts to maintain global dominance.

Second, the replacement of the world map indicates that the mainstream international narrative is undergoing major adjustments. For a long time, geopolitical theories advocated by the West concerning the contest for the "World Island" and "Lebensraum" (living space), as well as the liberal internationalist discourse, have been imbued with absurd geographical notions used to justify Western hegemony.

By examining a world map against the historical evolution of different regions, it is not difficult to see that the Western-dominated international narrative system has always gone hand in hand with struggles for hegemony among Western powers and their colonial conquest of non-Western countries. A key prerequisite for maintaining world peace is the resolute rejection of that obsolete Western international narrative. The timely replacement of the world map can be seen as another plank added by international forces for peace to the coffin of the Western legacy of external plunder and relentless pursuit of hegemony. Meanwhile, an international narrative system that reflects the interests and aspirations of developing countries and promotes equality, respect, and mutual benefit among nations will surely gain growing international recognition.

The adoption of the UN General Assembly resolution represents an authoritative expression of international justice and human conscience, and concerns the dignity and interests of countries that have long been routinely overlooked. Against the backdrop of the remarkable rise of the Global South and emerging economies, abandoning the Mercator map in favor of maps drawn using the Equal Earth projection can also be seen as clear evidence of a renewed affirmation of international fairness and justice.

The overwhelming vote in favor serves as powerful proof of the UN General Assembly's solidarity and unity. It demonstrates that countries, regardless of region or size, are fully capable of forging genuine international consensus through pragmatic collaboration. In contrast, a handful of countries that style themselves as "defenders of rules" loudly champion a "rules-based international order" on the one hand, yet refuse to even face an accurate world map on the other. They would rather cling to distorted projections from the colonial era to maintain a sense of superiority than confront the reality of the rise of the Global South. Rejecting the law of the jungle in which the strong prey on the weak and embracing the values of fairness and justice remain the mainstream of the international community. Those few forces that stubbornly cling to obsolete maps and persist in their misguided course will ultimately be left behind by the tides of history.

(The author is a professor at the Institute of International Relations, China Foreign Affairs University)

Editor's Note: Originally published on huanqiu.com, this article is translated from Chinese into English and edited by the China Military Online. The information and opinions in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of eng.chinamil.com.cn.