What constitutes “illegal” activity in the eyes of the Hainan authorities was not spelled out, but many worry that the order will give carte blanche to the maritime police to interfere with commercial activity in the South China Sea. This approach, according to Stephanie Kleine-Ahlbrandt of the International Crisis Group, appears to be “part of an overall strategy by Beijing to more forcefully defend its sovereignty claims” by “operational means.”
海南省政府并没有明确列出具体哪些将构成“非法”活动，但很多人担心这项命令将全权委托海警干涉中国南海的商业活动。按照国际危机集团斯蒂芬妮·克莱阿尔布兰特的说法，这种作法似乎隶属于北京从“执行层面”更有力捍卫主权要求的总体战略。