China’s Defence Minister has urged preparations for a “people’s war at sea” to counter offshore security threats and safeguard sovereignty, state media reported on Tuesday.
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Chang “called for recognition of the seriousness of the national security situation, especially the threat from the sea”, Xinhua news agency said.
“The people’s courts will actively exercise jurisdiction over China’s territorial waters, support administrative departments to legally perform maritime management duties… and safeguard Chinese territorial sovereignty and maritime interests”.
Two days ago while addressinga reception to celebrate 89th founding anniversary of the 2.3 million-strong People’s Liberation Army (PLA), China said it will “staunchly” protect the country’s maritime rights and interests and is “fully confident and capable of addressing various security threats and provocations”.
China claims territory in the South China Sea that belongs to the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, and Taiwan, and the waters off Indonesia’s Natuna Island.
Though the supreme court did not directly mention the South China Sea or the Hague ruling, Wang, a maritime law expert, said that such an interpretation was needed.
“Judicial power is an important component of national sovereignty”, it added. Beijing has refused to accept the ruling.
China has announced stiff penalties for people caught illegally fishing in Chinese waters, including those it describes as its sovereign areas in the South China Sea.
The same punishment awaits Chinese citizens and foreigners convicted of “serious” illegal activities such as unlicensed fishing or wildlife poaching in Chinese waters, which include the 200 nautical mile Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs).
Rather than confront China directly by sailing warships past its man-made island bases in the sea, Japan provides equipment and training to Southeast Asian nations, including the Philippines and Vietnam that are most opposed to China’s territorial ambitions.
Wang Hanling, director of the National Center for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea of the CASS, said it is the first time that Chinese law has covered fishery zones jointly managed by China and neighbors.
China has rejected the tribunal verdict delivered in response to the Philippines’ petition, which the PCA said is binding.
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Not only is China at the center of most maritime disputes in the region, but just yesterday, the PLA Navy organized a massive live-fire drill in the East China Sea, which China shares with Japan. It also dismissed its maritime entitlements such as EEZs in the Spratlys, saying man- made islands reclaimed from reefs had no such claims under Unclos.
