China has granted its border patrol police the right to board and turn away foreign ships entering disputed waters in the South China Sea, state media reported Thursday, as the territorial row rumbled on. The move comes after Beijing infuriated its neighbours by issuing new passports containing a map showing its claim to almost the whole of the South China Sea.
Vietnam and the Philippines are refusing to stamp the documents. The southern Chinese province of Hainan passed new regulations this week allowing local police "to board, seize and expel foreign ships illegally entering the province's sea areas", the Global Times reported. Activities defined as illegal include "illegally halting or dropping anchor... and carrying out publicity campaigns that endanger China's national security", the official Xinhua news agency said.
Foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei, asked about the new rules, said it was "the legitimate right of the sovereign state" to carry out "maritime management". Hainan province administers around two million square kilometres (800,000 sq miles) of ocean including the Spratly islands, which are also claimed in whole or in part by the Philippines, Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia and Taiwan.