BEIJING — China’s foreign ministry on Wednesday said it has goodwill arrangements on fishing practices in the South China Sea, addressing a report of Philippine commercial vessels in disputed waters.
Civilians on board Philippine fishing boats sailed on Wednesday towards a China-controlled reef off the Southeast Asian country to distribute provisions to Filipino fishermen and assert their rights to the disputed waterway, according to the South China Morning Post.
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“The island is our territory and we have indisputable sovereignty,” said a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson. “We have goodwill arrangements on fishing practices.”
—Reporting by Mei Mei Chu; Writing by Bernard Orr; Editing by Christopher Cushing