The Philippine government has rejected China’s latest rules governing its self-declared “nature reserve” in Bajo de Masinloc, calling on Beijing to withdraw the measures and refrain from enforcing them in the disputed feature.
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) issued the statement Tuesday after China released new “management measures” that prohibit fishing and require prior approval before entering the area.
DFA spokesperson for maritime affairs Rogelio Villanueva Jr. said the Philippines does not recognize China’s declaration of Bajo de Masinloc as a nature reserve.
“The DFA has already issued a statement protesting the declaration by the China State Council of Bajo de Masinloc as a natural nature reserve,” Villanueva said during a briefing.
“So, in the same manner, we reject this issuance of the different agencies from China, and we call on China to refrain from implementing any measure, to withdraw their issuances, and respect the Philippines’ sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction in accordance with international law, particularly the 2016 Arbitral Award,” he added.
China’s state-run Xinhua reported that the rules were jointly issued by the Ministry of Natural Resources, National Forestry and Grassland Administration, China Coast Guard, and the Hainan provincial government.
The regulations followed Beijing’s announcement in September 2025 of its plan to establish a national nature reserve in Bajo de Masinloc.
The Philippines maintains that Bajo de Masinloc, also known as Scarborough Shoal, lies within its maritime jurisdiction and is located about 124 nautical miles off the coast of Zambales.
Villanueva also cited the Philippines’ recent submission of its official nautical chart of Bajo de Masinloc and its surrounding waters to the United Nations, saying it reinforces the country’s maritime claims under international law.
“It serves as an official notice of the geographical extent of our applicable authority and jurisdiction. And, as we all know, it, of course, explains or conveys that the applicable principle is the use of normal baselines on Bajo de Masinloc,” he said.
“And from there, we are able to project the maritime limits of Bajo de Masinloc and the legal status of the enforcement that we are going to undertake,” he added.
The chart was deposited under Article 16 of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which requires coastal states to publicize official charts showing the baselines used in measuring their territorial seas.
Under Philippine law, UNCLOS, and the 2016 South China Sea Arbitral Award, Bajo de Masinloc generates a 12-nautical-mile territorial sea and a contiguous zone extending up to 24 nautical miles.
