The Philippines on Tuesday rejected China’s fishing ban in parts of the South China Sea and asked it to stop violating the Southeast Asian nation’s sovereignty. In a statement, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said China’s three-month fishing moratorium that started on May 1 covers areas over which the Philippines controls. “These waters include areas over which the Philippines exercises sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction,” the agency said. “The Philippines strongly urges China to desist from any action and activity that infringes on Philippine sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction, in contravention of international law,” it added.

Villegas, V. M. M. (2021, May 20). Philippines rejects 3-month Chinese fishing ban. BusinessWorld, p. S1/12.