Philippines does not recognize China's new Coast Guard regulation — Manalo
Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo said Wednesday, May 22, that the Philippines is not recognizing China's new regulation that permits its Coast Guard to detain alleged trespassers into the waters over which it claims jurisdiction.
"They could make the announcement, but we don't recognize this," Manalo said after several Chinese media reported that Beijing came up with a measure that would allow the Chinese Coast Guard to interrogate and detain for up to 60 days foreigners who would be alleged of illegally entering and existing its waters.
During a lunch reception with members of Philippine media, Manalo tagged as "unacceptable" China's new regulation as it "has no legal basis."
"And what's even more worrying is that it doesn't only affect the Philippines. It will affect every country in the world, theoretically," he added.
China released on May 15 a 92-page document entitled "Procedural Regulations on Administrative Law Enforcement of Coast Guard Agencies." China continues to assert its claim over the West Philippine Sea, which was already ruled as illegal in an arbitral ruling.
Meanwhile, Manalo said the Philippines' current relationship with China is "a bit choppy" considering the "many issues that have come up recently."
He said the Philippines is only making efforts to assert its rights over the waters based on international law. But it is being "hampered," which is what is now creating the tension, he added.