By Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio, Reporter

THE PHILIPPINES should consider restricting fish imports from China to assert its sovereignty claims in the South China Sea, defense analysts said at the weekend.

Limiting fish imports — or banning them outright — would send a strong signal against Chinese harassment of Philippine ships and illegal fishing activities in areas claimed by the Philippines, they added.

“A restriction on Chinese fish imports gathered from illegal and unregulated fishing in the South China Sea is highly encouraged, as these fishes being sold to the Philippines probably came from the West Philippine Sea,” Chester B. Cabalza, founding president of Manila-based think tank International Development and Security Cooperation, said in a Facebook Messenger chat, referring to waters within Manila’s 200-nautical mile (37 kilometers) exclusive economic zone.

China’s coast guard and naval vessels have been present around contested features, leading to maritime clashes as the Philippines resists Beijing’s expansive maritime claims.

China claims nearly all of the South China Sea via a U-shaped, 1940s nine-dash line map that overlaps with the exclusive waters of the Philippines and neighbors like Vietnam and Malaysia.

A United Nations-backed tribunal in 2016 voided China’s sweeping claims for being illegal, a ruling that Beijing does not recognize.

Some fishing vessels linked to China have also been flagged for illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing activities within the Philippines exclusive economic zone, fueling concerns over the sustainability of marine resources within Philippine waters, according to a 2024 Overseas Development Institute report.

Each ton of fish illegally caught in Philippine waters could shrink the Philippine economy, with losses estimated at about 0.02% of economic output, it said.

Limiting Chinese fish imports could signal a stronger diplomatic stance against China’s activities in the South China Sea, said Josue Raphael J. Cortez, a diplomacy lecturer at De La Salle-College of St. Benilde.

“It may imply a stronger diplomatic stance, but only to a certain extent,” he said via Messenger chat, noting that Philippine-China trade relations go beyond Chinese fish imports.

The Philippines imported about $310 million (P17.5 billion) worth of fish from China in 2023, according to a report by The Diplomat in April.

“Although China is our largest source of imported fish, it is merely a part and parcel of our economic ties with Beijing,” Mr. Cortez said.

China was the Philippines’ biggest source of imported goods in May at $3.15 billion, or 30% of the Southeast Asian nation’s total imports, according to the local statistics agency.

Restricting Chinese fish imports could boost the local fishing industry, Mr. Cortez said. “This will lead to a shift towards a more inward-looking approach in fish production.”

The Philippines’ fishery bureau might focus on strengthening the domestic fishing industry to help offset a potential ban on imports from one of the country’s biggest fish suppliers, he added.

“The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources and other agencies must monitor our fish stocks and nurture self-sufficiency in boosting food security,” Mr. Cabalza said.

Mr. Cortez said the Philippines could deepen fishery trade ties with regional neighbors such as Vietnam and Indonesia to help cushion the impact of a ban on Chinese fish imports.