Philippines President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. on Tuesday said the Philippines and China have made progress in coordinating fishing activities in the South China Sea.
“We are making some progress in that regard,” he told reporters on the sidelines of an Agriculture event, adding that the two countries have started coordinating on China’s yearly fishing ban.
He made the remarks after a Chinese Navy vessel reportedly tailed a multi-mission offshore civilian patrol vessel in a Philippine-claimed area of the waterway last week.
Mr. Marcos said the fact that the Chinese vessel did not block and only tailed the Philippine patrol vessel is an improvement in itself.
“These things do not come very quickly,” he said. “But we are slowly making progress because the key to that is the improved communication between the Philippine government and Chinese government.”
Mr. Marcos said he’s “continuing to talk” to the Chinese government and President Xi Jinping “in every way” to avoid a clash between Filipino fishermen and Chinese authorities in the area.
At the weekend, an official from the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) said Filipino fishermen could increase their catch if there were no aggressive Chinese activities.
BFAR spokesman Naz Briguera told a media forum the agency did not want to downplay the significance of the South China Sea in the country’s fish production and food security. Philippine-claimed areas contributed 6% to fishery output in 2022, he said.
Meanwhile, the presidential palace said Mr. Marcos had ordered the Agriculture department and BFAR to come up with studies on the rehabilitation and maintenance of the country’s marine habitats “to address illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.”
The president issued the order at a June 13 meeting, where he cited the need for the Philippines to comply with international commitments, particularly to the European Union on preventing illegal fishing.
“He also highlighted the importance of addressing the concerns of fishery stakeholders by using a science-based approach in managing marine resources,” the Presidential Communications Office said in a statement.