January 10, 2014 — New fishing regulations issued by a Chinese province along the South China Sea have once again focused international attention on a complex territorial dispute and raised the question of what kind of power China will become.
In a move that a spokeswoman for the State Department, Jen Psaki, on Thursday called a “provocative and potentially dangerous act,” the southern Chinese province of Hainan issued the new regulations, effective Jan. 1, that require foreign fishing vessels to obtain permission from the Chinese government before plying sea waters that China claims.
At a regular briefing on Thursday in Beijing, Hua Chunying, a spokeswoman for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said that such local regulations were “completely normal and routine practice.” She did not answer a question about the scope of the new regulations.
The South China Sea is at the heart of a territorial dispute involving China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei. Taiwan also claims parts of the sea. Beijing’s claim is outlined in a controversial “nine-dash line” boundary that encompasses much of the resource-rich waters, which are also a major strategic waterway for international trade.
Read the full story at the New York Times