[ad_1]
China passed a law on January 22 that allows the Coast Guard to use weapons in case a foreign ship is believed to be engaging in “illegal” activity in waters unilaterally claimed by Beijing.
According to the Customs Law passed by the Standing Committee of the National Assembly of China on January 22, Chinese customs forces can use “all necessary measures to prevent threats from foreign ships.” China’s Customs Law lists the cases where this force can use different types of weapons, including handguns, ship-launched weapons, or airborne weapons. According to Reuters, the new law allows China Customs to destroy structures “that other countries build on reefs” and to inspect foreign ships in waters that China claims. This law also allows China Customs to temporarily establish no-movement zones to “prevent the entry of ships and people.”
Since the previous law was a new law, the Vietnamese Foreign Ministry in early November 2020 once again emphasized that Vietnam has enough historical evidence to assert sovereignty over the two islands Spratly and Hoang Sa. Vietnam has always supported the settlement of disputes through peaceful negotiations on the basis of international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
Japan plans to build large patrol boats with helipads in the context of the growing China Sea scene near the Senkaku / Diaoyu islands. Photo: JAPANESE COASTAL PROTECTION FORCE
China has been repeatedly accused of sending coast guard forces to chase away fishing boats from other countries, leading to several shipwrecks. World public opinion once harshly condemned the Chinese coastal ship that crashed with Vietnamese fishing boats and Filipino fishing boats in the East Sea. Therefore, as soon as the China Customs Law was introduced, many international experts and well-known media immediately raised concerns despite the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hoa Xuan Oanh on 22- 1 stated that the law was “in line with international practice”. Mr. Tian Shichen, vice president of the Grandview Research Institute (China), previously assured the Global Times that countries are, in fact, very cautious about the use of force.
However, the Bloomberg (US) (US) news agency said on January 23 that China’s earlier move could increase the risk of a miscalculation occurring in the disputed waters. China not only has sovereignty disputes with some Southeast Asian countries in the East Sea, but also “clashes” with Japan in the East China Sea. According to Nikkei Asia (Japan), the new law enacted by China is particularly alarming for Japan as it has to deal with the increasing number of Chinese ship intrusions into the surrounding waters – Senkaku / Diaoyu islands.
Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said Tokyo would closely monitor Chinese activities and said Japan had repeatedly submitted notes against the activities of Chinese maritime vessels near the Senkaku Islands. / Fisheye. According to News.com.au, Motegi called Beijing’s new move “extremely regrettable.”
The passage of the Law of the Sea by China could also motivate other countries to increase their military presence in disputed waters. Former US National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien said last year that the US Coast Guard was looking to expand its presence in the Pacific.
Targeting American politics?
According to Al Jazeera, China’s latest move could further complicate relations with the United States, which maintains strategic alliances with countries in Asia and the Pacific, including Japan, the Philippines and Indonesia. In a comment on social media, maritime diplomacy analyst Christian Le Miere of the strategic consultancy Arcipel (UK) said that China’s Maritime Law “strikes the heart” of the United States’ freedom of navigation policy at Sea. from the east.
Furthermore, the law was enacted a day after senior Japanese and US officials discussed alliance relations and Article 5 of the US-Japan Security Treaty, which guaranteed national obligations. Space in Washington for the Senkaku / Diaoyu Islands. Japanese media said the phone call between Jake Sullivan, a U.S. national security adviser, and Shigeru Kitamura, head of the secretariat of Japan’s National Security Council, was the first high-level dialogue between the two countries since he took office. President Joe Biden.
[ad_2]
