Chinese has released new details of its claims regarding a controversial swarm. South China Sea In the last conflict over the maritime borders with Philippines.

Officials from China’s foreign ministry shared the new coordinates for what the country considers its baseline, a term used to describe the territorial waters of a country that normally match its coastline.

But Beijing has set its baseline around the Scarborough shoal, claiming the disputed atoll should be the starting point for the entire South China Sea to be considered Chinese territorial waters or exclusive economic zone.

China’s foreign ministry said in a statement that limiting the Scarborough shoal “is a natural step taken by the Chinese government to legally strengthen marine governance and is consistent with international law and common practices.”

The move from Beijing came a day after the Philippines signed two laws defining the country’s maritime zones and the right to access resources, including the South China Sea, with the codification of claims that substantially overlap with those of China.

Philippine president Ferdinand Marcos Jr. signed two laws – the Philippine Maritime Zones Act and the Philippine Archipelago Maritime Routes Act – in a nationally televised ceremony attended by senior military and national security officials. The new law provides for prison terms and heavy fines for those who violate these zones.

Beijing said on Sunday that the first of two laws signed by Marcos violated China’s “sovereignty” over a large part of the South China Sea.

“China firmly opposes this and will continue to do whatever is necessary in accordance with the law to resolutely defend its territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests,” the foreign ministry said.

China is in dispute with several Southeast Asian countries, including the Philippines and Vietnam, over control of the South China Sea, which includes some of the world’s busiest shipping routes.

On Friday, China’s foreign ministry summoned the Philippines’ ambassador to China to congratulate him on his “firm protests” against the proposed laws, calling it an attempt to “solidify the illegal decision of the South China Sea arbitration case through domestic legislation.”

The phrase refers to a 2016 ruling by an international arbitration court that ruled most of China’s claims in the South China Sea were invalid. Beijing rejected the decision.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Mao Ning said, “We strongly condemn this situation and resolutely oppose it. China’s territorial sovereignty and maritime rights in the South China Sea are strictly based on historical and legal foundations.” he said.

Both China and the Philippines claim the Scarborough shoal and other outcroppings in the South China Sea. China seized the shoal, located west of the Philippine main island of Luzon, in 2012 and has restricted access to Filipino fishermen since then.

Tensions between Chinese and Philippine coast guards and navies have risen at an alarming rate since last year, sparking fears that the United States and other regional powers could be drawn into a major conflict over disputed waters in the South China Sea.