The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has filed a diplomatic protest against China’s unilateral imposition of a three-and-half-month fishing ban in the South China Sea, saying the prohibition encroaches into parts of the country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ). In a diplomatic note dated May 30, the DFA conveyed its protest to the moratorium, which runs from May 1 to Aug. 16, and covers areas in the West Philippine Sea over which the Philippines has “sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction.” It said the ban did not exempt areas within the Philippines’ EEZ or limit it to Chinese vessels.

Santos, T. G. (2022, June 1). Gov’t protests China’s fishing ban extending to PH waters. Philippine Daily Inquirer, pp. A1, A2.