There is no need to overinterpret China’s new Coast Guard Law, Beijing s ambassador to the Philippines said Friday, stressing that no strong measure will be carried out against any fishermen plying the contested waters.
Published February 1, 2021 7:04pm China s new law authorizing its Coast Guard to shoot foreign vessels sailing through its claimed areas in the disputed South China Sea complies with international law, its Embassy in Manila said Monday as it denied reports of harassing Filipino fishermen and intrusion in Philippine waters. Such law, it stressed, is a sovereign right and similarly enforced by other nations, such as the Philippines. The formulation of the Coast Guard Law is a normal domestic legislative activity of China. The content of the law conforms to international conventions and the practices of the international community, a statement by the Chinese Embassy said.
China says new Coast Guard law not a threat of war
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Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 1) The Chinese embassy in Manila brushed aside claims that China’s new law, which authorizes its coast guard to fire on foreign vessels entering contested waters, is a threat of war.
The embassy on Monday said the measure is “a normal domestic legislative activity of China” and conforms to international conventions and practices. It added that the law doesn t specifically target any certain country” and bears no change in China’s maritime policy.
The statement came days after the government filed a diplomatic protest against China, saying its new law is “a verbal threat of war” to any country that defies it. Malacañang also previously asked China to refrain from any use of force that could spark tension, and instead adhere to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.