Beijing’s South China Sea fishing ban threatens to raise tensions with rival claimants
- Fishing groups in Vietnam and the Philippines have urged their governments to take firm measures to resist ban, which is intended to preserve fish stocks
- Observers warn that food shortages caused by Covid-19 outbreak will increase risk of confrontation as countries move to protect domestic supplies
Tensions are expected to rise in the South China Sea after Beijing’s annual summer ban on fishing in the disputed waters drew protests from rival claimants.
China said it would prohibit fishing activities in the waters Beijing has claimed above the 12th parallel – including areas near the Scarborough Shoal, the Paracel Islands, and the Gulf of Tonkin – to conserve stocks.
The ban, which came into effect from noon on May 1 runs until August 16 and China’s coastguard has promised to take the “strictest measures” to stop any “illegal fishing activities”.
Fishing communities in Vietnam and the Philippines have urged their governments to take a strong stance and on Friday Vietnamese foreign ministry spokeswoman Le Thi Thu Hang said Hanoi rejected the “unilateral decision”.
“Vietnam asks China not to further complicate the situation in the South China Sea,” she said in a statement.
“Vietnamese fishermen have the complete rights to fish in waters under their sovereignty,” the Vietnam Fisheries’ Society said in a statement on its website early this week, adding that the ban violates international law and Vietnam’s sovereignty over the Paracel Islands.