Arrest threat without basis

China’s regulation that would detain individuals it considers “trespassers” in the West Philippine Sea has no legal basis, according to the Department of Foreign Affairs.

In a press briefing, Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo echoed the pronouncement of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. regarding the regulation.

“The President has been very clear. That announcement by China is unacceptable and, in my view, it has no legal basis. There’s no legal basis for that,” Manalo told reporters in a press briefing.

Last week, Chinese media reported that China adopted a new regulation that would allow its coast guard to detain anyone it considered “trespassers” in the South China Sea.

Local security officials protested the new restrictions and threatened to include a protest in a new case to be filed before the international arbitration court.

The detention period would be extended to 60 days if their case was more complex.

Manalo described the new regulation as “more worrying,” stressing that it would not only affect the Philippines but other countries traversing the South China Sea.

The South China Sea is a shipping passage for $5.3 trillion worth of trade annually.