Filipino fishermen protest against China Coast Guard Law

Dozens of Filipino fishermen protested in the capital Manila on Wednesday to defy the passage of a recent law by China that authorises its coast guard to fire on foreign vessels and destroy other countries' structures on islands it claims in the South China Sea. Protest leader Fernando Hicap said life for local fishermen is already hard because of disputed waters, along with the pandemic.

China's Coast Guard Law, passed on January 22, empowers the force to "take all necessary measures, including the use of weapons, when national sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction are being illegally infringed upon by foreign organizations or individuals at sea."

The law also authorises the coast guard to demolish other countries' structures built on reefs and islands claimed by China and to seize or order foreign vessels illegally entering China's territorial waters to leave. The Chinese law raises the stakes and the possibility of clashes with regional maritime rivals.

The Philippine protest is the latest public criticism by Manila of China's increasingly assertive actions in the disputed waters, despite cozier ties nurtured by Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte with Beijing. China and the Philippines, along with Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei, have been locked in territorial rivalries in the South China Sea in tense decadeslong standoffs.