A Philippine Coast Guard personnel looks out at a China Coast Guard ship during a resupply mission for the BRP Sierra Madre, in the Second Thomas Shoal in the disputed South China Sea, on Friday, Nov. 10, 2023. (Lisa Marie David/Bloomberg)
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. enacted on Friday two laws bolstering his nation’s maritime claims, drawing criticism from Beijing as South China Sea tensions persist.
Marcos signed the Maritime Zones Act, which seeks to make the Philippines’ maritime rights well-defined by creating routes over its waters and airspace.
“Our people, especially our fisherfolk, should be able to pursue their livelihood free from uncertainty and harassment. We must be able to harness mineral and energy resources in our seabed,” Marcos said, according to a statement from his communications office.
The president also enacted the Philippine Archipelagic Sea Lanes Act, which establishes a system through which foreign vessels and aircraft shall exercise the right of passage.
China strongly condemns the enacting of the two laws, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said Friday at a regular press briefing in Beijing. “China will resolutely respond to any infringing and provocative actions taken by the Philippines in the South China Sea based on the law,” she said.
The new legislations were signed as Manila and Beijing are locked in a dispute over South China Sea, where the two nations have competing claims. Their vessels have clashed in disputed waters in the past months, as Marcos asserted his nation’s claims.
The laws will help the Philippines secure its rights in the South China Sea, National Security Adviser Eduardo Ano said in a separate statement. “These legal instruments solidify our territory and enhances our ability to protect our country against any infringement,” he said.
With assistance from Qianwei Zhang.
