Chinese coastguard ships sent on fisheries patrol mission to the northern Pacific
- The Qushan and the Haimen head to distant waters with the power to board and inspect vessels
- The effort is part of China’s international obligations, according to state media
China has sent two coastguard ships on fisheries patrols in the northern Pacific as the country extends its reach farther from its shores.
The Qushan and the Haimen left Shanghai on Friday on a mission that is expected to last several weeks in waters where hundreds of Chinese fishing boats operate every year.
“Carrying out law enforcement patrols on the high seas is an important move to fulfil China’s international obligations and to show itself as a responsible big country,” state broadcaster CCTV reported.
The mission was authorised under the Convention on the Conservation and Management of High Seas Fisheries Resources in the North Pacific Ocean, an intergovernmental agreement signed in 2012 to manage regional fisheries and protect marine ecosystems, according to the report.
The report said China had in recent years organised high-sea inspections, cracked down on illegal fishing activities, and played an important role in the sustainable development of fisheries resources.
The Qushan and the Haimen have frequently taken part in patrols in disputed waters in the East China Sea and the South China Sea.
The two vessels were registered with the North Pacific Fisheries Commission as inspection vessels to have the power to board and inspect civilian ships on the high seas.
China has four coastguard vessels registered with the commission, with the other two being the Changshan and the Shicheng.
In July 2021, the Qushan and the Haimen carried out the first such patrols by the Chinese coastguard.
In a 31-day journey, the vessels sailed through the straits of Tsushima, Tsugaru and Osumi, the international sea channels near Japan to and from the Pacific Ocean.
They observed and recorded a total of 111 fishing vessels, and boarded three of them for inspections.
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The Changshan and the Shicheng conducted the same mission in July and August 2022, in which they travelled 15,000 nautical miles in 45 days.
A total of 180 fishing vessels from various countries were observed and recorded – 20 were identified for questioning and five were boarded and inspected.
Other members of the commission include Canada, the European Union, Japan, South Korea, Russia, Chinese Taipei, the United States and Vanuatu.
The US has 25 inspection vessels registered to board and inspect civilian ships in the region, followed by Russia’s eight and five from Taiwan, registered as Chinese Taipei. Canada, Japan and China each have four ships registered.
