China passes law that gives coast guard free hand to open fire on foreign vessels

China on Saturday adopted a law that gives the country's coast guard a free hand to open fire on any foreign vessel deemed a threat to national sovereignty. According to Bloomberg, the Chinese coast guard has been given the freedom to open fire on foreign vessels, who either refuse to heed warnings or are deemed a threat to national security. This comes months after the National People's Congress of China revealed a draft bill regarding the same. 

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Chinese state-run Xinhua news agency reported that the law states coast guard personnel would be allowed to take all necessary action, including the use of handheld guns to prevent foreign ships from violating "national sovereignty, security and maritime rights". According to the text, the Chinese coast guard would also be allowed to board foreign vessels operating in the country's jurisdictional waters in order to conduct checks. China refers to areas in sea claimed by other countries as "jurisdictional waters". 

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China's neighbours concerned 

The move raises concerns for nations operating vessels in China-claimed waters, including Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam. For instance, China and Japan both claim the disputed Senkaku islands as their own territory and have engaged in serious confrontations over the same in the recent past. Now, that China has given a free hand to its coast guard to open fire, it will concern Japanese self-defence forces in the area, who face huge internal restrictions on the usage of weapons. 

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The new law would also allow the Chinese coast guard to detain, and tow vessels. The law is meant to protect the marine resources of China, including the indigenous fishing industry. China has the world's largest coast guard fleet with more than 130 vessels currently in service. 

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