Chinese Border Authorities to Board Ships in Disputed Waters

Chinese border police will soon board and search foreign vessels that entered what Beijing considers its territorial waters in the disputed South China Sea.

According to state media police, authorities will check, seize, and expel foreign ships that enter the waters illegally.

Some illegal activities include entering the province’s waters without authorization and engaging in publicity that may threaten China’s national security.

Many of China’s opposing claimants over the waters include the Philippines, Malaysia, Taiwan, and Brunei. They are concerned about what they see as Beijing’s growing insistence in defending its privileges in the energy- rich South China Sea.

China’s Foreign Ministry said Thursday that China has the right to implement the new regulations.

Meanwhile, the Philippines Foreign Affairs Secretary called on China to remove three ships from the place of an April standoff. The secretary goes on to state that Beijing has not fulfilled its agreement to remove its vessels from the disputed water as of six months ago.