The US should consider leading a multilateral coalition with South American countries to crack down on China’s illegal fishing and trade practices, a US intelligence agency has recommended in a document obtained by Axios.
Why it matters: China’s illegal fishing industry is the largest in the world. Beijing has made fishing in the far waters a geopolitical priority and seen private Chinese fishing fleets as a way to expand state power far beyond its coast.
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A senior U.S. administration official has confirmed to Axios that several agencies across the government are “looking at this in the light of the president’s priorities”, which includes “deepening cooperation with allies and partners on the challenges facing our economy and national facing safety. “
What is happening: Large fleets of hundreds of Chinese vessels illegally fished boats in the territorial waters of South American countries, including off the Galapagos Islands.
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The activity depleted stocks and disrupted food chains, in a practice referred to as illegal, unreported or unregulated fishing.
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South American countries say that this fleet is a challenge to their economic and environmental security, but their fleet often does not have the means to effectively monitor and patrol their own waters.
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Last year, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru declared that they would join forces to defend their territorial waters against invaders by Chinese vessels.
Details: “South American countries are likely to welcome a coalition effort to increase trade pressure on China and maintain fishing standards,” officials from the Office of Intelligence and Analysis wrote in a Feb. 5 document that was considered sensitive but unclassified. , be stamped.
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“The unilateral pressure from the United States is likely to lead to China imposing similar sanctions, just as Beijing did by enacting a new law to counter US restrictions on technology enterprises,” the office said. information agency within the Department of Homeland Security, said.
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Several offices and agencies are working together on this effort, including the U.S. Coast Guard, the Office of Marine Intelligence, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the State Department, according to the document and government sources.
The document is judged with ‘high confidence’ that Chinese fishing in South American waters would also ’cause continued economic damage to U.S. inland fisheries as a result of competitive competition’.
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It is estimated with “medium confidence” that China is likely to “continue to pursue fishing practices in South American waters despite recent actions by governments and an intergovernmental organization to curb these activities.”
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It is also assessed with ‘medium confidence’ that South American countries will welcome a coalition to increase enforcement of fishing standards.
What they say: “There is a lack of understanding of this problem, that it is a global problem, that fisheries are quite stressed,” the senior administration official told Axios.
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The Trump administration ‘has started working a bit on the anti-IUU issue worldwide over the role of China, as they have emerged as the biggest culprit in this,’ the official said, adding that the Biden government is still working on it. considered a priority.
Background: Former Chinese President Hu Jintao called for China to build up a large maritime power, and in 2013 the Chinese State Council elevated the fishing industry to the level of a strategic industry.
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The Chinese government provides subsidies to the fishing industry, which enables boats to cover the fuel costs of sailing to distant shores, including near West Africa and South America.
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“China’s leaders view water fleets in the distance as a way to project presence around the world so that, when it’s time to set up regulatory frameworks, it will have a major impact on the setting up of the frameworks,” Tabitha said. Mallory, CEO, said. of the China Ocean Institute consulting firm and affiliated professor at the University of Washington.
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The aim is to ‘be present all over the world’s oceans so that they can guide the outcomes of international agreements covering maritime resources,’ said Mallory, ‘including not only fishing but also the exploitation of the seabed, the Arctic and other important issues and regions.
The US government paid closer attention to China’s increasingly global deepwater fishing fleets in recent years.
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The Maritime Safety and Fisheries Enforcement Act (SAFE), adopted in December 2019, introduced an “whole government approach” to combat IUU fishing.
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In May 2020, President Trump issued an executive order to combat illegal deep-sea fishing and help promote U.S. competitiveness in the industry.
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In September 2020, the State Department fished through China’s distant water fishing fleets added to its list of goods produced by forced labor – a possible source of concern in the DHS document.
The conclusion: “Other countries need to consider these issues as well,” Mallory said. “Everything the US does alone will be seen by the Chinese as merely part of the backdrop of increasing power competition.”
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