The report called China’s reclamation moves in the South China Sea a provocation, and urged Beijing to accept a recent worldwide arbitration ruling.
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Chang called for a “recognition of the seriousness of the national security situation, especially the threat from the sea”, according to the Xinhua news agency.
Japan’s report is “full of malice towards the Chinese military and deception to the global community, together with the intention to sow discord among China and its neighbouring countries”, said Beijing spokesman Colonel Wu Qian.
A Supreme People’s Court official said applying the Criminal Law to crack down on crimes in China’s jurisdictional seas is conducive to safeguarding territorial sovereignty and maritime integrity.
BEIJING―Beijing on Tuesday announced penalties for “illegal” fishing in its waters, including those it claims in the South China Sea weeks after an worldwide tribunal ruled that those claims have no legal basis.
China claims most of the South China Sea, through which more than $5 trillion of trade moves annually.
Any fishing boats refusing to leave Chinese waters or caught fishing illegally there a few times in a year are subject to a fine, while the crew could be given a prison term of up to one year.
The court spokesman said Chinese boats’ illegal entry into the fishing zones of other nations and hunting of rare corals and endangered maritime creatures “have caused severe damage to China’s worldwide image and foreign policy”.
It also upheld the Philippines rights over the area claimed by Manila.
It continued: “Australia has unexpectedly made itself a pioneer of hurting China’s interest with a fiercer attitude than countries directly involved in the South China Sea dispute“.
The Hague court last month ruled that China has no historic title over the waters of the South China Sea and that it has breached the Philippines’ sovereign rights with its actions.
China risks triggering unintended conflict with Asian rivals through its aggressive stance in maritime disputes, Japan warned yesterday in an annual security assessment.
“China is strongly dissatisfied with Japan’s 2016 defence white paper over its groundless accusations against China’s defence development and military activities”, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said in a statement.
Without mentioning The Hague ruling, China’s Supreme Court said its judicial interpretation of the South China Sea was in accordance with both Chinese law and the United Nations’ Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
And tensions have also grown over Indonesia’s Natuna Islands in the South China Sea, where Chinese and Indonesian boats have clashed.
“Recently, China has been intensifying activities near the Senkaku Islands, such as its military aircraft flying southward closer to the islands”, it said.
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China claims nearly all of the South China Sea, including islands more than 800 miles (1,200 kilometers) from the Chinese mainland, despite objections from neighbors including the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Vietnam.
