Beijing to detain foreigners in South China Sea for 60 days; Philippines calls it 'illegal'

China, from Saturday, will start detaining foreigners in the disputed areas of the South China Sea for 60 days without trial, another sign of the country claiming dominance over the region despite opposition from several Southeast Asian nations.

Chinese and Philippine vessels have had a series of confrontations around the Second Thomas Shoal, with Beijing accusing Manila of illegally grounding a navy vessel on the disputed reef.

Both countries have refused to back down with Manila saying that the most recent conflict is the most serious incident yet for the Philippines.

What does the new detention rule say?

According to rules Beijing has published online, China’s Coast Guard will from Saturday be able to detain foreigners “suspected of violating management of border entry and exit”.

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A detention period of up to 60 days is allowed for “complicated cases”, and “if the nationality and identity (of detainees) is unclear, the period of detention for examination will be counted from the day their identity is determined,” the rules say.

And “foreign ships that have illegally entered China’s territorial waters and the adjacent waters may be detained in accordance with the law with the approval of the head of a Coast Guard agency at or above the municipal Coast Guard agency.”

Philippines increases patrol

Meanwhile, Manila has already increased patrolling in the disputed area, anticipating passing China’s new trespassing rules.

Earlier this month the Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos described the new China regulations as worrisome and “an escalation of the situation.” He also accused the Chinese Coast Guards of being “illegal, coercive, aggressive and deceptive.”

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China Coast Guard vessels have used water cannons against Philippine boats multiple times in the contested waters, where there have also been collisions that injured several Filipino troops.

G7 calls out China for its actions

The Group of Seven leaders have called out China for its “dangerous” incursions in the South China Sea in a draft summit statement accessed by AFP.

“We continue opposing China’s dangerous use of coastguard and maritime militia in the South China Sea and its repeated obstruction of countries’ high seas freedom of navigation,” it said.

With inputs from AFP