MANILA, Jan 27 (Reuters) - The Philippines foreign minister
on Wednesday said a diplomatic protest had been filed over
China's passing of a law allowing its coastguard to open fire on
foreign vessels, describing it as a "threat of war".
China passed legislation on Friday allowing its coastguard
to use "all necessary means" to stop or prevent threats from
foreign vessels, including demolishing other countries'
structures built on Chinese-claimed reefs. "After reflection I fired a diplomatic protest,"
Philippines' foreign minister, Teodoro Locsin, said on Twitter.
"While enacting law is a sovereign prerogative, this one
—given the area involved or for that matter the open South China
Sea — is a verbal threat of war to any country that defies the
law; which, if unchallenged, is submission to it," he added.
China's embassy in Manila did not immediately respond to a
request for comment.
The law, which permits coastguard to board and inspect
foreign vessels in waters China considers its own, could pose
problems given the scope of Beijing's territorial claims in the
South China Sea.
China's claim of 90% of the strategically important waterway
was invalidated by an international arbitration tribunal in
2016, but it does not recognise that ruling.
China maintains a constant presence of coastguard hundreds
of kilometres off its mainland, near disputed island and often
within the Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ) of its neighbours,
some of which accuse the vessels of aggressive behaviour, like
disrupting fishing and energy exploration activities.
Taiwan, Malaysia, Vietnam, the Philippines and Brunei also
have competing claims with China.
The Philippine protest comes days after ally the United sent
a carrier group through the waterway to promote "freedom of the
seas". China on Tuesday said it would hold military drills of
its own this week. A spokesman for President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday said the
Philippines hopes no country will do anything to increase
tensions.
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EXPLAINER-South China Sea tension flares again as Biden takes
charge - Reuters News ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^>