BEIJING — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Thursday clarified that China would not have a “unilateral” say on when Filipino fishermen could venture into disputed areas in the South China Sea.

Marcos gave the clarification a day after he said that Chinese President Xi Jinping vowed to “find a compromise” so that Filipino fishermen can return to traditional fishing grounds occupied by Chinese vessels.

“It is not a unilateral thing that will be done,” Marcos told reporters.

• Filipinos fishing on frontline of China's battle for disputed sea

Manila and Beijing have agreed to establish direct lines of communication to immediately address confrontations between Filipino and Chinese vessels in the waterway, he said.

“Fixing the situation of our fishermen will be number one on our agenda… I wanted to raise the level of discussion maybe on the ministerial level and with a direct access to both presidents,” he said.

“The intention of course is to minimize all these incidents, ‘yung report nila naiba sa report natin. Sana mabawasan na yun,” he said.

(Their reports of these incidents are different from ours. We hope to reduce that.)

Marcos attributed friction in the West Philippine Sea to a “lack of rapid communication” between Manila and Beijing.

“Kung may problema either side magsasabi kami sa inyo kaagad, sabihan ninyo din kami kaagad,” the President said. “Kung magpapalipad kayo ng rocket, sabihin ninyo sa amin. Kung may bumagsak sa Pilipinas, ire-recover namin, ibibigay naman namin sa inyo. Wala kaming interest na itago yan.”

(If there is a problem on either side, we will telly you immediately, and you will inform us. If you will launch a rocket, alert us. If debris falls in the Philippines, we will recover that and turn it over to you. We have no interest in hiding that.)

“If the commanders of the Philippine Coast Guard and Navy and the commanders of the Chinese Coast Guard and Navy… magkakilala yan, madali silang mag-usap bago may mangyari pa,” he added.

(If the commanders of the Philippine Coast Guard and Navy and the commanders of the Chinese Coast Guard and Navy know each other, it will be easy for them to communicate, even before something happens.)

• Marcos tells Xi: PH to continue joint exploration talks with China in West PH Sea

China and the Philippines are at odds over the South China Sea, with Beijing claiming sovereignty over almost the entire area despite an international court ruling that its claims have no legal basis.

The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei have overlapping claims to parts of the sea, and Manila ordered its military last month to boost its presence in the contested waters after a report that China had started reclaiming several unoccupied land features around the Spratly Islands.

Manila recently filed a diplomatic protest after a Chinese coastguard vessel in November "forcefully" took control of debris from a Chinese rocket retrieved by a Philippine navy vessel off Pag-asa (Thitu) Island.

Marcos said he has also asked Xi to appoint several Chinese officials to a bilateral group that would focus on solving conflicts in the West Philippine Sea.

• Filipinos fishing on frontline of China's battle for disputed sea

— With a report from Agence France-Presse

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