China has committed not to stop Filipino fishermen from fishing in the West Philippine Sea, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said Sunday, as he belied reports of a proposed “partnership” between Manila and Beijing’s fishing villages.
“I don’t know how the word ‘partnership’ started to be used. It’s really an agreement that China will not stop our fishermen from fishing,” Mr. Marcos said in an interview on a plane en route to Switzerland.
“That’s it, very simple. They will allow our fishermen to fish, in the fishing grounds that they have used for many generations,” he added as he headed for the five-day World Economic Forum in Davos.
Former National Security Adviser Clarita Carlos on Friday said the government was studying China’s proposal for a “partnership between fishing villages.”
Beijing is claiming sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea despite an international court ruling in favor of the Philippines, junking China’s claim.
The same 2016 ruling also declared that Panatag Shoal is a common fishing ground for countries and outlawed China’s aggression against Philippine vessels, including preventing Filipino fishermen from accessing Panatag.
China, however, has refused to recognize the ruling.
But during Mr. Marcos’ three-day visit to China earlier this month, he raised the plight of Filipino fishermen in the West Philippine Sea in his bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Mr. Marcos said Xi “promised that we would find a compromise and find a solution that will be beneficial so that our fishermen might be able to fish again in their natural fishing grounds.”
Also, during the President’s state visit, the two countries signed an agreement to establish a communication mechanism on maritime issues between the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China.
However, an international affairs analyst, De La Salle University professor Renato De Castro, said the Chinese commitment was “a very condescending approach.”
“This is a very condescending view on the Chinese [to] allow Filipino fishermen to fish in their country’s own exclusive economic zone,” he said. Vince Lopez
De Castro said Manila must assert its territorial rights on the West Philippine Sea and send fishermen there.