South China Sea fishing ban 'indisputable'

• Source: The Global Times
• [01:16 June 09 2009]
• Comments

By Sun Wei

In response to Vietnam’s request to overturn China’s ban on fishing in the South China Sea, a spokesman of China’s Foreign Ministry told the Global Times that it is China’s regular measures to protect marine resources within its own territorial waters.

Qin Gang, spokesman of China’s Foreign Ministry, told the Global Times, “China has indisputable sovereignty over the South China Sea islands, including Xisha and Nansha islands, and their adjacent waters.”

“It’s a regular and justified administrative measure of China to post a summer fishing ban within the South China Sea, with the aim of protecting the sustainability of marine life in this area,” Qin said.

China officially imposed the ban May 16 to prevent overfishing, and it has sent eight patrol ships to monitor 128,000 square kilometers of the South China Sea.

But the area, a huge exclusive economic zone surrounding the Nansha and Xisha islands, has long been coveted by Vietnam.

Vietnam government spokesman Le Dung said Vietnam’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs had called the Chinese embassy in Hanoi urging China to cease operations in the sea.

Vietnamese Deputy Foreign Minister Ho Xuan Son told China’s ambassador to Vietnam, Sun Guoxiang, that increased Chinese patrols had led to more arrests and fines affecting “normal fishing activities by Vietnamese fishermen in Vietnam’s traditional fishing grounds.”

“China shows a firm attitude on the protection of its sovereignty over the South China Sea,” Zhuang Guotu, dean of the Research School of Southeast Asian Studies at Xiamen University, told the Global Times.

“Fishery resources are also safeguarded by the Chinese fishery administration vessels,” Zhuang added.

Agencies contributed to this story