China new rules to regulate foreign ships in its waters
Recently China has notified new rules to regulate foreign ships in its waters.
China has notified new maritime rules. Under these, ships entering Chinese waters will have to report the details of the cargo. These include radioactive materials, bulk oil (oil sold and supplied in a single transaction), chemicals and other supplier vessels.
Issues related to the new rule:
Territorial conflict:
- If China strictly enforces these rules in the disputed South China Sea and Taiwan Strait, tensions in the region are likely to escalate.
- The Philippines, Vietnam, China, Brunei, Taiwan and Malaysia make historically and geographically different and sometimes overlapping territorial claims on the sea.
Violation of international rules:
- In 2016, China overruled the decision of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) arbitral tribunal. It states that China cannot claim historical rights to resources in waters within the ‘nine-dash line’, which includes most of the South China Sea (SCS).
- The United States and its allies are conducting naval operations challenging Beijing’s claims of insisting on freedom of navigation.
Impact on India:
- More than 55% of India’s trade goes through the SCS and the Straits of Malacca.
- In addition, India conducts various activities including cooperation in the oil and gas sector with the littoral countries of the SCS.
Source – The Hindu
