China rejects Philippines' protest against fishing ban in SCS

China has ignored the Philippine government's call to stop its unilateral fishing ban in the disputed South China Sea, saying the moratorium adheres to international law and is within its sovereign right.

"The summer fishing moratorium in the South China Sea adopted by China is a normal measure of protecting marine biological resources in waters under China’s jurisdiction, and a manifestation of fulfilling obligations under international law including UNCLOS by the Chinese side," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said at a news conference on Wednesday.

UNCLOS, or the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, is an international treaty signed by 160 states, including the Philippines and China, which allows coastal nations to explore, manage, and exploit resources within 200 nautical miles of their shores.

Manila said it does not recognize China’s fishing moratorium from May 1 to August 16 as it covers waters in areas where the Philippines exercises "sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction."

The declaration of a moratorium on fishing that extends to the West Philippine Sea has no basis in law, and undermines the mutual trust, confidence, and respect between the two countries, it added.

China said it "cannot accept the unwarranted accusation" of the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs, which lodged the protest on May 30.

"We hope the Philippine side can view it in an objective and correct perspective, and earnestly fulfill the obligations as a littoral state of the South China Sea to jointly promote sustainable development of fishery in the South China Sea," Zhao said.

Paragraph 716 of the Award of the South China Sea Arbitration rendered on July 12, 2016 by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, Netherlands states that any Chinese fishing moratorium in the South China Sea that includes the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone is illegal, the DFA said.

China has rejected the ruling that favored the Philippines and maintained indisputable and historic rights over 90% of the South China Sea—a major shipping route and said to harbor rich oil and gas reserves.

Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, and Taiwan also have overlapping claims to the resource-rich waters. —VBL, GMA News