China’s nature reserve plan a threat to smaller countries — Teodoro

China’s planned creation of a nature reserve in Bajo de Masinloc poses a threat to smaller countries that rely on the resources of the area, Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. said on Saturday.

“We must condemn the unilateral declaration of a nature reserve in Scarborough Shoal, or Bajo de Masinloc, which denies fisherfolk of various countries the right to fish in what has been legally recognized as their traditional fishing grounds,” Teodoro said during the 12th ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting (ADMM) in Kuala Lumpur.

“This, to us, is a veiled attempt to wield military might and the threat for use of force, undermining the rights of smaller countries and their citizens who rely on the bounty of these waters,” he added.

GMA News Online has reached out to the Chinese Embassy for comment.

On September 10, Beijing announced its plan to create a national nature reserve in Bajo de Masinloc, which prompted the Department of Foreign Affairs to file a diplomatic protest against China.

This was flagged by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who, without naming China, emphasized that the attempt to build a nature reserve in the Bajo de Masinloc violates the Philippines' sovereignty and the fishing rights of Filipino fisherfolk, which are supported by international laws.

Teodoro also called out the harassment faced by the country in the West Philippine Sea (WPS), calling it as “behavior that flatly and blatantly contradicts the principles enshrined in the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation [in Southeast Asia].”

In its 2025 third quarter report, the National Maritime Council (NMC) said China engaged in 78 "illegal, coercive, aggressive, and deceptive" acts.

These are: radio challenges (13), ramming (1), dangerous maneuvers (7), firing of water cannon (2), laying of nets (10), blocking (8), and shadowing (37).

It also monitored 25 Chinese vessels in Pagas Island, 10 in Ayungin Schoal, 14 in Bajo de Masinloc, and 11 in Escoda Shoal.

On Saturday, Malaysia handed over the ASEAN ADMM and ADMM-Plus chairmanship to the Philippines.

Teodoro said the ADMM-Plus is not a “framework not only for exchanges of views,” but also for “functional cooperation, even among states with differing interests, and sometimes dichotomic interests.”

“As we navigate our future together, our wish is that we go beyond practical cooperation, but towards principled and purposive action. Only in this manner will the ADMM evolve to truly serve the interests of ASEAN, as our people deserve,” Teodoro said. — Mariel Celine Serquiña/RF, GMA Integrated News