China's maritime law could become 'ticking time bomb' for conflict in South China Sea

Amid rising tensions over South China Sea issue, China on September 1 imposed Maritime Traffic Safety Law that will now require all foreign vessels entering Chinese territorial waters to inform maritime authorities, carry relevant permits and submit to Beijing’s command and supervision. According to Taipei Times, China’s latest rules to regulate foreign ships is creating fear of a “ticking time bomb” for conflict in the South China Sea. The move also gives Beijing the authority to instruct foreign vessels. 

China’s Maritime Safety Administration has said that the new reporting requirement would apply to all submersibles, nuclear vessels and ships carrying radioactive or harmful substances, as well as any foreign vessels deemed to "endanger the maritime traffic safety of China”. The officials added that the reports should include the vessel's name, call sign, current position, next port of call, estimated course and speed, nature of goods and loading capacity. 

'Ticking time bomb' for conflict

Su Tzu-Yun, Taiwan’s Director of the Division of Defense Strategy and Resources at the Institute of National Defense and Strategic Research, said that other nations are afraid that China’s exploitation of the law to expand the scope of the “grey zone” conflict could become a ticking time bomb. Su noted that Beijing considers its maritime jurisdiction to encompass more than just its coastal waters. This would include the 12 nautical miles of the sea surrounding the artificial reefs it has constructed in the South China Sea, giving Beijing an excuse to respond to freedom of navigation exercises carried out by other nations, he said.

It is worth mentioning that according to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), territorial waters are defined as the 12 nautical miles (22.2km) of the sea extending from the terrestrial territory, with the "right of innocent passage" reserved for vessels moving through territorial waters in a manner that does not threaten the security of the coastal state. But as Beijing claims almost all of the South China Sea as its sovereign territory, it has turned numerous obscure reefs and sandbars throughout the waterway into man-made artificial islands heavily fortified with missiles, runways and weapons systems. China has overlapping territorial claims with Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Taiwan.

China says new rules would increase security

Meanwhile, Chinese experts told Global Times that according to them, the new maritime regulations indicate ramped up efforts by the country to safeguard the national security at the sea. As per reports, the reference to submersible refers to the spy devices which were discovered by the Chinese fisherman along the coastline of China. The state media quoted Song Zhongping, a military expert and TV commentator, said that the latest announcement reveals China’s vow to regulate the rights of foreign vessels within its claimed territorial waters. 

(With inputs from ANI)