Philippines, China making progress on fishing rights dispute: President Marcos

By Anadolu staff

ANKARA (AA) - Philippines President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. said Tuesday that negotiations with China about fishing rights in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) is making progress.

“These things do not come very quickly … But we are slowly making progress because the key to that is the improved communication between the Philippine government and the Chinese government,” Marcos was quoted by the Philippines News Agency.

He said his government is talking at every level, including to Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Responding to a seasonal fishing ban by China, Marcos said such the ban will take place with coordination and his government will have a plan for fishermen livelihoods.

In April, the Philippines and China were engaged in a maritime incident.

Manila accused China of “aggressive tactics” at sea while Beijing claimed Manila’s vessels allegedly intruded into its waters.

On April 23, two Chinese Coast Guard vessels had intercepted PCG vessels that were in the vicinity of Ayungin Shoal.

But Beijing said it was a "premeditated and provocative action" for the Philippine vessels to barge into the waters off the Ren’ai Reef with journalists on board.

The Philippines won a case in 2016 at a UN-backed arbitration court that invalidated China’s expansive claims in the resource-rich South China Sea.

China and several regional countries make overlapping maritime claims in the South China Sea, resulting in conflicting situations.

Washington has frequently sailed its warships and flown its fighter jets above the warm waters of the South China Sea under the so-called "freedom of navigation," which Beijing has repeatedly denounced as a violation of its territorial integrity.

China’s assertions are based on its “nine-dash line” -- purple dashes on official Chinese maps that denote Beijing’s historical claims in the South China Sea.

*Writing by Islamuddin Sajid