Vietnam Fisheries Society opposes Chinese unilateral fishing ban
PSNews - The issuance of an annual ban and an extension of the ban on fishing in the East Sea increases the risk of clashes between Vietnamese fishing boats and the Chinese coast guard, hindering normal operations of Vietnamese fishing vessels and fishermen in the Vietnamese waters.
China recently issued a fishing ban in the East Sea which took effect from May 1 and is expected to last for three months. The fishing ban will cover part of the Gulf of Tonkin and the Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelago of Vietnam.
Regarding this issue, Vice-Chairman of the Vietnam Fisheries Association, Nguyen Chu Hoi on May 4 sent a letter to the Government Office and concerned agencies voicing their opposition against China's unilateral ban on all fishing activities in the East Sea from May 1, 2022.
According to the Vietnam Fisheries Society, this is a unilateral, repetitive and unreasonable act of China that seriously violates Vietnam’s sovereignty, rights and interests in its exclusive economic zone (EEZ), as well as international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and relevant international legal documents. It affirmed the Chinese ban runs counter to the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC).
The issuance of an annual ban and an extension of the ban on fishing in the East Sea increases the risk of clashes between Vietnamese fishing boats and the Chinese coast guard, hindering normal operations of Vietnamese fishing vessels and fishermen in the Vietnamese waters.
The Vietnam Fisheries Society strongly opposed the unilateral ban, declaring it null and void in the Vietnamese waters. It demanded that China immediately end this unreasonable fishing ban in the East Sea, including the waters of Vietnamese sovereignty.
The society requested that competent agencies strongly oppose and take drastic measures to immediately stop China’s unreasonable fishing ban. It said it will coordinate with relevant agencies to encourage fishermen to comply with the law and protect their legitimate rights when fishing at sea.
In a press conference held in Hanoi last weekend, spokeswoman for the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs Le Thi Thu Hang also said that Vietnam slammed the unilateral fishing ban imposed by China in the East Sea as a violation of its sovereignty and jurisdiction over Vietnamese territory.
"Vietnam requests China to respect Vietnam's sovereignty over the Paracel Islands, sovereign rights and jurisdiction over its maritime zones when taking measures to conserve biological resources in the East Sea, without complicating the situation towards maintaining peace, stability and order in the East Sea," Hang said.
