The United States, already at odds with China over that country's air defense zone, said on Thursday that new Chinese fishing restrictions in disputed waters in the South China Sea were "provocative and potentially dangerous."
The legislature of China's Hainan province approved rules in November that took effect on January 1 requiring foreign fishing vessels to obtain approval to enter waters under its jurisdiction.
Such a move, if broadly enforced, could worsen tensions in the region. Beijing claims almost the entire oil- and gas-rich South China Sea, rejecting rival claims to parts of it from the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia, Brunei and Vietnam.
"The passing of these restrictions on other countries' fishing activities in disputed portions of the South China Sea is a provocative and potentially dangerous act," State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki told a news briefing.
"China has not offered any explanation or basis under international law for these extensive maritime claims."
"Our long-standing position has been that all concerned parties should avoid any unilateral action that raises tensions and undermines the prospects for a diplomatic or other peaceful resolution of differences."
The fishing rules followed China's creation of an air defense identification zone in late November above the East China Sea in an area that includes islands at the heart of a bitter territorial dispute with Japan.
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