China passed its coastguard legislation on Friday, and experts said China will safeguard sovereignty regarding the dispute with Japan over the Diaoyu Islands.
The 25th session of the Standing Committee of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) concluded on Friday afternoon in Beijing, and adopted the coastguard law. The law came one day after senior Japanese and US officials discussed their alliance and the Japan-US security treaty’s Article 5, which assures the US defense obligations apply to the Diaoyu Islands.
Japanese media said that the phone call between Jake Sullivan, national security adviser to US President Joe Biden, and Shigeru Kitamura, head of the secretariat for the Japanese government’s National Security Council, was the first high-level dialogue between the two countries since Joe Biden became president on Wednesday.
The law, according to the draft released in November by the NPC, empowers the Chinese coastguard to take action, including the use of weapons, when national sovereignty, sovereign rights or jurisdiction are being illegally infringed upon or threatened by foreign organizations or individuals at sea.
The purpose of formulating the Coastguard Law is to clarify the functions, positioning and authority of China’s coastguard, ensure a legal basis for their law enforcement cooperation, and help the coastguard better fulfill duties and obligations under international treaties, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said at a press briefing Friday.
It is a normal legislative activity of China’s NPC to formulate the coastguard law, said Hua, noting China's maritime policy remains unchanged.
“The Diaoyu Islands are China's inherent territory and China upholds its territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests,” Hua said, urging Japan to manage differences through dialogue with China and maintain peace and stability in relevant waters.
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China has passed a law that for the first time explicitly allows its coast guard to fire on foreign vessels, a move that could make the contested waters around the country more choppy.
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It has sent its coast guard to chase away fishing vessels from other countries, sometimes resulting in the sinking of these vessels.