China to require foreign vessels to report in ‘territorial waters’
The Hindu
‘55% of India’s trade via South China Sea, the Malacca Straits’
In a move that could have ramifications for the free passage of both military and commercial vessels in the South China Sea, Chinese authorities said on Sunday they will require a range of vessels “to report their information” when passing through what China sees as its “territorial waters”, starting from September 1. Over $5 trillion trade passes through the South China Sea, and 55% of India’s trade pass through its waters and the Malacca Straits, according to estimates by India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). China claims under a so-called “nine dash line” on its maps most of the South China Sea’s waters, which are disputed by several other countries, including the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Indonesia. While it remains unclear how, whether, and where China plans to enforce this new regulation starting Wednesday, the Maritime Safety Administration said in a notice “operators of submersibles, nuclear vessels, ships carrying radioactive materials and ships carrying bulk oil, chemicals, liquefied gas and other toxic and harmful substances are required to report their detailed information upon their visits to Chinese territorial waters,” the Communist Party-run Global Times reported.More Related News
Former astronaut William Anders, who took iconic Earthrise photo, has died in Washington plane crash
William Anders, the former Apollo 8 astronaut who took the iconic “Earthrise” photo from space in 1968, was killed on June 7 when the plane he was piloting alone plummeted into the waters off the San Juan Islands in Washington state.