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China, which has maritime sovereignty disputes with the
Philippines and other countries, issued new rules effective June
15 that would enforce a 2021 coast guard law and allow detention
of foreigners suspected of trespassing.
"The new policy of threatening to detain our own citizens, that
is different. That is an escalation of the situation," Marcos
told reporters during a state visit to Brunei.
The Philippines "will use any point of contact with China to
stop aggressive actions" and allow Filipino fishermen to fish in
the South China Sea, Marcos said.
If aggressive actions are managed, Marcos said, "then we can all
go about our business in a peaceful way".
China routinely accuses vessels of trespassing in areas of the
South China Sea that fall inside the exclusive economic zones of
its neighbors and has clashed repeatedly with the Philippines in
the past year.
The rules aim to standardize law enforcement and better uphold
maritime order, China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on
Wednesday.
"There is no need for any individual or entity to worry as long
as there is no illegal behavior," Chinese foreign ministry
spokesperson Mao Ning said in a regular press conference.
It was the Philippines' side "that frequently provokes the
escalation of the situation" in the South China Sea, Mao said,
adding that the door to dialogue was open.
Marcos has taken a tougher line than his predecessor over
China's actions in the South China Sea, emboldened by support
from defense ally the United States, as well as Japan and
Australia.
Beijing claims jurisdiction over much of the South China Sea, a
conduit for more than $3 trillion in annual ship-borne trade.
In 2016, an international arbitral tribunal said China's vast
claims had no basis under international law, a decision Beijing
has rejected. China insists historic records and old maps make
clear it has sovereignty over most of the sea and many islands
there.
(Reporting by Neil Jerome Morales and Mikhail Flores; Additional
Reporting by Liz Lee in Beijing; Editing by Martin Petty and
Bernadette Baum)
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