Full coverage: The South China Sea Issue

A map released by the US government states that Taiping island is an island instead of a rock. During a press conference, a deputy spokesman from the US department of state said the US was not going to challenge its definition.

"what map is it?....we are not in this point of time going to challenge the definition that they've put in there legally at this point," US Dept. of State spokesperson Mark C. Toner said.

The US center for strategic and international studies, think-tanks and other research institutions have published articles pointing out that the Taiping island is indeed, is not a rock or reef. In January 2010, the US government released a map of the South China Sea and geographical descriptions clearly marked Taiping Island, as well as its affiliated islands.