China coast guard regulations allowing officers to arrest foreigners for trespassing in disputed South China Sea take effect News
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China coast guard regulations allowing officers to arrest foreigners for trespassing in disputed South China Sea take effect

New China Coast Guard rules allowing Chinese guardsmen to arrest foreigners for trespassing in the disputed South China Sea took effect Saturday.

The China Coast Guard issued Order No. 3 last month, stating, “It is of great significance to standardize and ensure that the Coast Guard performs its duties in accordance with the law and protect the legitimate rights and interests of citizens, legal persons and other organizations.”

The new restrictions heighten tensions in the contentious waterway by permitting people suspected of unlawful entrance to be detained for up to 60 days without trial. Foreign ships that enter China’s territorial seas illegally may also be arrested under the amended regulations.

Several nations have expressed concerns over the updated rules and China’s maritime policies, citing overlapping claims to the full range of resources in the South China Sea. The new regulations exacerbate friction in the contentious waterway, one of the world’s crucial commerce channels. Beijing dispatches coast guards and other vessels to monitor the waterways to establish its claims, and numerous reefs have been militarized as artificial islands.

China justified its new coast guard rules claiming that they aim to streamline administrative law-enforcement procedures and maintain order at sea, with the Chinese defence minister recently warning of “limits” to Beijing’s restraint in the South China Sea.

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