China gives coastguards power to fire on foreign ships in disputed waters
- Force now authorised to use ‘any means necessary’ in all areas where China claims jurisdiction
- Move risks raising tensions in parts of the East and South China where country’s neighbours have a series of overlapping claims
China has risked stoking tensions with its neighbours after it passed a law that for the first time explicitly allows its coastguards to fire on foreign vessels and demolish structures built in disputed waters.
The coastguard law, passed on Friday by China’s top legislative body, the National People’s Congress Standing Committee, came two years after China’s military assumed control of the previously civilian maritime body in 2018.
The law empowers the coastguard to use “all necessary means” to deter threats posed by foreign vessels in waters “under China’s jurisdiction”. It will also allow the coastguards to launch pre-emptive strikes without prior warning if commanders deem it necessary.
It is unclear whether the law will be applied to all waters claimed by Beijing, which has a number of competing claims with its neighbours in the East and South China Seas.
Under the new bill, coastguard personnel can demolish structures built or installed by other countries in Chinese-claimed waters and board and inspect foreign ships in the area.
The passing of the law is likely to heighten concern among China’s neighbours about the prospect of more aggressive operations.