5 months ago
21
New Chinese
coast guard
rules took effect Saturday, under which it can detain
foreigners
for trespassing in the disputed South China Sea, where neighbours and the G7 have accused Beijing of intimidation and coercion.
Beijing claims almost the entirety of the South China Sea, brushing aside competing claims from several Southeast Asian nations including the Philippines and an international ruling that its stance has no legal basis.
China deploys coast guard and other boats to patrol the waters and has turned several reefs into militarised artificial islands. China's coast guard can now detain foreigners "suspected of violating management of border entry and exit", say the new regulations published online. Detention is allowed up to 60 days in "complicated cases".
