China’s Coast Guard Can Fire on Foreign Vessels, Complicating Security in South Sea
TAIPEI – Analysts are warning that China’s new law authorizing its coast guard to fire on foreign vessels in the disputed South China Sea will target five other Asian governments that have competing maritime claims and growing support from Beijing’s superpower rival, Washington.
The National People’s Congress standing committee in Beijing passed a law January 22 that expressly lets the coast guard use force. The law prescribes “all necessary means” to stop foreign vessels, including use of weapons aboard Chinese ships.
The coast guard fleet of about 200 boats regularly encounters vessels from Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam, three countries with rival sovereignty claims in the resource-rich South China Sea that extends from Hong Kong south to Indonesia.
The U.S. Navy regularly passes warships through the 3.5 million-square-kilometer waterway to warn China, a former Cold War foe, and show support for the Southeast Asian claimants. China cites historical records to back its claim to about 90% of the sea. Other countries believe China’s claims violate international maritime laws.
“Using guns and real force against others will be against Vietnam and the Philippines and Malaysia in the South China Sea because of the sheer imbalance of power in favor of China,” said Alexander Vuving, professor at the Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies in Hawaii. “Big guns” on the Chinese coast guard ships would intimidate the Southeast Asian states, he said. VOA News read more
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