China Extends Border Patrol to Disputed Portions of South China Sea

Will now be authorized to board foreign ships and remove them

China has granted its border patrol police the right to board and expel foreign ships entering disputed waters in the South China Sea, state media reported Thursday.

The move comes after Beijing issued new passports containing a map showing its claim to almost the whole of the South China Sea, infuriating its neighbours. Vietnam and the Philippines are refusing to stamp the documents.