ASEAN Alarms China’s Plan To Board Ships In Disputed Waters

ASEAN Alarms China On Its Plan To Board Ships In Disputed Waters

Southeast Asia's top diplomat warned on Friday that China's plan to board and search ships that illegally enter what it considers its territory in the disputed South China Sea could spark naval clashes and hurt the region's economy.

China said it attached "great importance" to freedom of navigation in waters that have some of the world's busiest shipping lanes as seeking to ease alarm over the issue.

New rules that take effect on January 1 will allow police in the southern Chinese province of Hainan to board and seize control of foreign ships which "illegally enter" Chinese waters, the official China Daily said on Thursday.

Surin Pitsuwan, secretary-general of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), said the Chinese plan was a "very serious turn of events".

"It certainly has increased a level of concern and a level of great anxiety among all parties, particularly parties that would need the access, the passage and the freedom to go through," Surin told Reuters by telephone from Thailand.

With an unusually strong language, Surin said the plan could trigger a major incident that would affect confidence in East Asia, a key engine of global economic growth.

Several countries have overlapping sovereignty claims in the South China Sea, which is believed to be rich in oil and gas. It is the region's biggest potential military flashpoint.

A summit of Asian nations this month was overshadowed by disagreements between China and the Philippines over the dispute. Tensions were fanned again by China's move to issue new passports containing a map of its maritime claims.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei declined to elaborate on the new rules at a briefing in Beijing on Friday and what might constitute illegal entry.

Posted by James Fried on Saturday December 01 2012, 4:50 AM EST. Ref: Reuters. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Featured News, World. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0