SINGAPORE - When China introduced the coastguard law on Jan 22, which took effect on Feb 1, a backlash ensued from its neighbours in the East and South China Sea, and their allies.
The Philippines called it a "verbal threat of war" while the US State Department spokesman Ned Price said it "may escalate ongoing territorial and maritime disputes". Japan's Defence Minister Nobuo Kishi denounced the law as "absolutely unacceptable".
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