DFA protests China’s fishing ban encroaching West Philippine Sea 

A woman joins a protest outside the Chinese Consulate in Makati, Metro Manila on August 11, 2023, to condemn the water canon incident between China and Philippines Coast Guards at West Philippine Sea. FILE PHOTO/Agence France-Presse

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Foreign Affairs on Monday protested China’s unilateral fishing ban in the South China Sea which encroaches on the West Philippine Sea.

DFA said the unilateral fishing ban started on May 1, 2024 and is expected to last until September 16, 2024.

“The Philippines stressed that the unilateral imposition of the fishing moratorium raises tensions in the West Philippine Sea and the South China Sea,” the DFA said in a statement, adding that the order directly contravenes the understanding between President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and Chinese President Xi Jinping “to manage differences through diplomacy and dialogue and to de-escalate the situation at sea.”

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“Through a diplomatic note,  the Philippines protested the ban insofar as it includes the Philippines maritime zones over which the Philippines has sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction,” the DFA also said.

Beijing asserts sovereignty in almost the entire South China Sea, including most of the West Philippine Sea, even if such a claim has been effectively invalidated by a July 2016 international tribunal that stemmed from a case filed by Manila in 2013.

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The DFA noted that China’s “illegal” order violated the “final and binding” 2016 Arbitral Award under the  United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos).

“The Philippines called on China to cease and desist from the conduct of illegal actions that violates the Philippines’ sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction in its maritime zones; comply with its obligations under international law, particularly the 1982 Unclos and the final and binding 2016 Arbitral Award; and, adhere to its commitments under the 2002 Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea,” the DFA further said.