China casts red tape in South China Sea

[unhappycamper]

http://atimes.com/atimes/China/CHIN-02-140114.html



China casts red tape in South China Sea
By Richard Javad Heydarian
Jan 14, '14

MANILA - China forayed into 2014 by signaling its intent to consolidate contested territorial claims in the South China Sea. Authorities in the southern Chinese province of Hainan introduced an amended maritime regulation that requires foreign fishing-related vessels to secure the permission of local authorities before entering China's claimed maritime jurisdiction.

The new regulation was passed by Hainan's People's Congress in November and came into effect on January 1. According to the state-owned China News Service, foreign vessels could be apprehended and face up to 500,000 yuan (US$91,800) in fines if they fail to secure entry permission from the relevant and responsible government department before entering areas of the South China Sea.

As translated by Professor Taylor Fravel of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Article 35 of Hainan's new fishing regulation states: "Foreigners or foreign fishing ships entering sea areas administered by Hainan and engaged in fishery production or fishery resource surveys should receive approval from relevant departments of the State Council."

The new measure is the second amendment to a 1993 provincial Fishery Law and is in line with a 2004 national maritime law that is designed to enforce the country's jurisdiction over adjacent waters. Anticipating the potential diplomatic fallout of the new measure, Chinese authorities have tried to downplay the impact of the regulation by emphasizing its primary role as a clarification of pre-existing maritime legislation.