Justice Carpio explains why China’s new coast guard law, sometimes likened to a “Monroe Doctrine,” is fundamentally different: it seeks to enforce expansive maritime claims beyond sovereign zones recognized under UNCLOS and threatens the rights and security of ASEAN coastal states.
Justice Carpio explains how China’s new coast guard law represents a “deadly legal virus” that empowers the use of force to enforce expansive South China Sea claims contrary to international law and underscores the need for legal countermeasures by ASEAN states.