By Brian Jules Campued
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Wednesday called the China coast guard’s new policy of detaining foreigners illegally entering the South China Sea (SCS) as a worrisome development and only further escalates the tension in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).
President Marcos made the statement when asked about China’s four-month fishing ban in the South China Sea, including parts of the WPS, on the sidelines of his state visit to Brunei Darussalam.
The West Philippine Sea is part of the vast SCS, which China claims entirely as its own.
However, the 2016 arbitral ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration based in The Netherlands upheld the Philippines’ rights over the WPS which China firmly disregards.
“The new policy of threatening to detain our own citizens, that is different. That is an escalation of the situation. So, yes, it is now very worrisome,” Marcos said in a press briefing.
He said that China’s fishing ban is “just an extension again of their claim”.
“It’s just an extension again of their claim that this is all the maritime territory of China. So, it is just — it is nothing new. There are sometimes — there are fishing bans because they are — because it’s the season. And this is something that we have actually agreed upon before,” the President added.
The Department of Foreign Affairs has protested over the fishing moratorium as it includes the Philippines’ maritime zones where it has sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction over.
According to Malacañang, the Chinese government reportedly issued the regulation following the successful conduct of the Atin Ito Coalition civilian resupply mission to Filipino fishermen in the WPS.
Meanwhile, the Chief Executive assured Filipinos that the government is exhausting all remedies to peacefully resolve China’s continued aggression in the contested waters and allow Filipino fishermen to fish.
He said there is some sort of a middle ground with China to ensure peace and stability in the WPS and the region.
When asked if there are meetings or backchannel efforts to resolve WPS issues, Marcos answered: “Yes, of course, there are.”
“I’ve said it many times. You should try everything. You don’t know what effort is going to be successful. So, as any point of contact that I can establish I will use it. And at every level, at the leaders’ level, at the ministerial, sub-ministerial, private,” he added.
The President said that if there is a way “to resolve all these claims”, the Philippines and China could go back to peaceful relations and continue to try and develop the ties between the two countries.
“There are always, always efforts at every level,” Marcos said. – avds
