A Chinese coast guard vessel stays beside suspected Chinese militia ships near Thitu island, locally called Pag-asa island on Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024 ahead of a Philippine military multi-service joint exercise at the disputed South China Sea, Philippines.

The Philippines recently passed two major laws— the Maritime Zones Act and the Archipelagic Sea Lanes Act—to strengthen its control and authority over its territorial waters. These new laws aim to protect the Philippines’ sovereign rights over its maritime zones,

China firmly opposes the Philippines' Maritime Zones Act, which it says "severely infringes on" the its territorial sovereignty and maritime rights in the South China Sea, the Chinese foreign ministry said on Sunday in a statement.