In its bid to deflect criticisms from foreign countries, including the United States, following a recent ruling that requires foreign fishermen to seek permission before fishing in the South China Sea, Beijing said it was normal for a coastal state like China to formulate regulations to “safeguard legitimate rights of its fishermen.” In a statement released by its Chinese foreign ministry in Manila, spokesperson Hua Chunying said that in coastal states like China, the regulations were aimed to preserve, use and manage their fishery resources. “China is a coastal state, it is regular and routine practice that coastal provinces formulate local regulations in accordance with national laws to preserve, use and manage fishery resources,” she said.

Fabunan, S. S. D. (2014, January 12). China insists on fishery rules. Manila Standard, pp. A1, A2.