The government on Tuesday said it summoned a senior Chinese Embassy official back in April to protest the harassment of a Philippine research in the West Philippine Sea, and rejected a unilateral fishing ban declared by Beijing in waters where the Philippines exercises sovereign rights and jurisdiction. The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) issued the statement after Washington-based Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI) reported that Chinese Coast Guard and militia, in three months, harassed Filipino vessels in the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the West Philippine Sea. The DFA said the presence of the Chinese coast guard vessels around Reed Bank was not consistent with innocent passage and “are clear violations of Philippine maritime jurisdiction where only the Philippine government has the mandate of enforcement.”

Requejo, R. E. (2022, June 1). PH raps China for sea threats. Manila Standard, pp. A1, A2.