The Maritime Zones Law and the Archipelagic Seaways Law were signed into law on Friday, drawing sharp criticism from China amid a long-running dispute between the two countries over the waterway.

“We anticipate tensions as international shipping will have to adjust its routes,” Philippine Coast Guard chief Admiral Ronnie Gil Gavan told This Week in Asia.

Speaking ahead of the signing on Thursday at the three-day Manila Dialogue on the South China Sea, Gavan also told fellow coast guard chiefs from Indonesia, Malaysia and Japan that his side “would play a big role in enforcing these laws.”

Gavan anticipated that legislation on archipelagic sea lanes would pose a greater challenge. “The Philippines is an archipelagic state made up of 7,641 islands and we have many routes normally used for international shipping,” he said.

“We anticipate the tensions this law will cause as international or global shipping companies have to adjust their itineraries to these specific itineraries defined by the law.”