China keeps fishermen connected by satellite deep in disputed waters
Chinais giving fishermen hi-tech navigation gear and encouraging forays deep into disputed zones, suggesting food is key to its maritime ambitions
On Hainan Island, a fishing boat captain has one hi-tech piece of equipment: a navigation system that gives him a direct link to the Chinese coastguard should he run into bad weather or a Philippine or Vietnamese patrol ship when he's fishing in the disputed South China Sea.
By the end of last year, China's homegrown Beidou satellite system had been installed on more than 50,000 Chinese fishing boats, according to official media. On Hainan, China's gateway to the South China Sea, boat captains have paid no more than 10 per cent of the cost. The government has paid the rest.
It's a sign of China's growing financial support for its fishermen as they head deeper into Southeast Asian waters in search of new fishing grounds as stocks thin closer to home.
Hainan authorities encouraged fishermen to sail to disputed areas, the captain and several other fishermen said in the sleepy port of Tanmen. Government fuel subsidies made the trips possible, they added.
Most recently, the boats jostled and collided with Vietnamese fishing boats for months until China withdrew an oil platform from disputed waters off Vietnam a few weeks ago.
Explanations for China's assertiveness in the South China Sea usually focus on the strategic significance of the waterway, through which US$5 trillion in shipborne trade passes each year, or on Beijing's goal to increase offshore energy output.
But the satellite equipment is a strong sign of the importance of seafood to the Chinese diet, and the lengths China will go to secure it.