Google removes Chinese name for disputed shoal

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., July 14 (UPI) -- Google has released its latest maps with one small change – the removal of a Chinese name for a disputed shoal in the South China Sea.

The update came after the Mountain View, Calif.-based company received complaints from hundreds of Filipinos, The Independent reported.

The campaign was launched on Change.org on Sunday, with petitioners calling on Google to remove the Chinese name, calling Beijing's claim to the reefs illegal.

Online, activists said China has committed a "territory grab that peace-loving nations should stand against."

Google has instead labeled the reef by an international name: Scarborough Shoal.

According to the BBC, China refers to the area as part of the Zhongsha Islands, and its claims have been contested by the Philippines at a U.N. tribunal.

China is not obliged to appear at the tribunal, and has refused to participate in the case in the Hague.

Hua Chunying, China's foreign ministry spokeswoman, said Beijing "will never accept the unilateral attempts to turn to a third party to solve the dispute."

China has called on the Philippines to negotiate with China directly.

The disputed triangle-shaped area is enclosed in a 29-mile perimeter and was the site of a standoff between Manila and Beijing in 2012. Ships from both countries refused to move out of the area for several weeks.

China has staked its claims in other parts of the South China Sea, including the Spratly Islands.

China announced in June its land reclamation operation in the Spratlys was nearing completion.

Washington has voiced increasing concern over the island-building efforts, even though the United States said it does not side with any country in the sovereignty disputes.

Washington and Manila, however, held joint military exercises near the Scarborough Shoal in April.