Amazingly, a Chinese province makes announcements that could have grave foreign-policy and geo-political implications. Is this for real or is it merely acting as a ‘strawman’ for central government pronouncements to come?
NY Times: “New rules announced by a Chinese province last week to allow interceptions of ships in the South China Sea are raising concerns in the region, and in Washington, that simmering disputes with Southeast Asian countries over the waters will escalate.
The move by Hainan Province, which administers China’s South China Sea claims, is being seen by some outside analysts as another step in the country’s bid to solidify its claims to much of the sea, which includes crucial international shipping lanes through which more than a third of global trade is carried.
As foreign governments scrambled for clarification of the rules, which appeared vague and open to interpretation, a top Chinese policy maker on matters related to the South China Sea tried to calm worries inspired by the announcement.
Wu Shicun, the director general of the foreign affairs office of Hainan Province, said Saturday that Chinese ships would be allowed to search and repel foreign ships only if they were engaged in illegal activities (though these were not defined) and only if the ships were within the 12-nautical-mile zone surrounding islands that China claims.
The laws, passed by the provincial legislature, come less than a month after China named its new leader, Xi Jinping, and as the country remains embroiled in a serious dispute with Japan in the East China Sea over islands known in China as the Diaoyu and as the Senkaku in Japan.
The laws appear to have little to do with Mr. Xi directly, but they reinforce fears that China, now the owner of an aircraft carrier and a growing navy, is plowing ahead with plans to enforce its claims that it has sovereign rights over much of the sea, which includes dozens of islands that other countries say are theirs. And top Chinese officials have not yet clarified their intent, leaving room for speculation.
via Alarm as China Issues Rules for Disputed Area – NYTimes.com.
Related articles
- Chinese police plan to board vessels in disputed seas (thehimalayantimes.com)
- ASEAN Chief Worries Beijing Raising Stakes in South China Sea (blogs.voanews.com)
- China should exercise self-restraint in South China Sea: minister (wantchinatimes.com)
CHINDIA ALERT: You'll be living in their world, very soon 
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