New laws help China grow into maritime power

Maritime interests have gained an increasing amount of attention in Asia's largest economy, especially after the State Council announced plans to restructure the country's top oceanic administration to enhance maritime law enforcement capabilities, according to China.org
Legal system reform has become a top concern for the National People's Congress (NPC), China's top legislative body. NPC deputies have signaled that new regulations will aid China in upgrading its maritime capabilities and secure its maritime rights and interests.
China first began to legislate its oceans in 1958, and since the 1980s the CPC has passed more than 80 sea-related laws and regulations, according to Xinhua News Agency.
"Although new laws have created positive results in the past, they are no longer sufficient to develop and safeguard maritime rights and interests in the 21st century," said deputy Dai Zhongchuan, vice dean at Fujian's Huaqiao University Law School.
Dai argued that the current Marine Environmental Protection Law needs to be revised in order to prevent further ecological damages to China's marine habitat.
Such damages are mainly caused by sea reclamation. "Sea reclamation around China's coastal cities grows over 800 square kilometers every year, damaging the self-purification capabilities of sea water," Dai said.
Source: China.org