The rules aim to standardise law enforcement and better uphold maritime order, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Wednesday.
“There is no need for any individual or entity to worry as long as there is no illegal behaviour,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said in a regular press conference.
It was the Philippines’ side “that frequently provokes the escalation of the situation” in the South China Sea, Mao said, adding that the door to dialogue was open.
Marcos has taken a tougher line than his predecessor over China’s actions in the South China Sea, emboldened by support from defence ally the United States, as well as Japan and Australia.
Beijing claims jurisdiction over much of the South China Sea, a conduit for more than US$3 trillion in annual ship-borne trade.
In 2016, an international arbitral tribunal said China’s vast claims had no basis under international law, a decision Beijing has rejected. China insists historic records and old maps make clear it has sovereignty over most of the sea and many islands there.
