President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has expressed his concerns over China’s new policy to detain foreigners “trespassing” in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) beginning this June.
In a media interview, the President said the policy would put local fisherfolk at risk and escalate the ongoing tension in the maritime region.
“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,” Mr. Marcos said.
Under China’s new policy, the Chinese Coast Guard can detain “foreign trespassers” in the South China Sea for up to 60 days. Beijing’s directive came after the successful civilian mission of Atin Ito in the WPS.
In a separate statement, Marcos said China’s fishing ban is not a new issue, referencing previous agreements that had addressed it.
The President said China’s action is “just an extension again of their claim that this is all the maritime territory of China.”
“There are sometimes fishing bans because it’s the season. And this is something that we have actually agreed upon before,” Marcos said.
