The Standing Committee of China’s 13th National People’s Congress passed the draft Law on Maritime Police on Friday. For the first Time, the law clearly states that China can fire on foreign vessels when necessary.
Article 43 of the draft says that if a foreign vessel enters waters under Chinese jurisdiction to illegally engage in production and operational activities, disobeys instructions to stop the vessel or refuses to be boarded and inspected by Chinese marine police, after warnings are ineffective, marine police personnel can use weapons.
Asked by Japanese media whether China would step up maritime police activities in the East China Sea, Chinese Communist Party Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said Friday that the law would help Chinese maritime police maintain good order at sea. She also stressed that the Diaoyu Islands and their affiliated islands, which Japan calls the Senkaku Islands, are China’s inherent territory and that China will safeguard its territorial sovereignty and maritime rights.
The Japanese government has recently protested repeatedly against the entry of Chinese marine police into the waters near the Senkaku Islands and the expulsion of Japanese fishing boats. The Japanese side fears that both Japanese fishermen and Japanese Coast Guard patrol boats may become the target of China’s Maritime Police Law.
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