China enlists fishermen’s help to protect maritime rights in disputed South China Sea
Beijing is using trawlers to safeguard its claims in the region – but it is not the first country to recognise the influence fishermen can have
China is encouraging its fishermen to venture into the South China Sea by offering subsidies and security training, a government official said on Monday.
Luo Baoming, the Communist Party chief of southern province Hainan, said China’s rights in the hotly contested body of water were underscored by the traditional activities of Chinese fishermen there.
“Given the current situation in the South China Sea, fishermen have to protect their normal fishing operations in the region, because it is our ancestors’ fishing place,” Luo said at the annual parliamentary session in Beijing.
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There were more than 100,000 fishermen in Hainan, which administers China’s vast claims in the sea, Luo said.
The Hainan government had provided resources such as shipbuilding and fuel subsidies to those involved in pelagic fishing, Luo said. It had also provided training in self-defence.
He said some Chinese fishing boats operated in high seas and displaced up to 400-tonnes of water – meaning they were bigger than some naval warships from Southeast Asian countries.
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Hainan’s fishermen have documented proof of their navigation routes in the South China Sea dating back 600 years.