20.09.2020 | China warning: US challenges Beijing over ‘aggressive behaviour’ as tensions erupt
Source - The Sunday Express
The American marine forces released a report criticising China for disregarding “territorial integrity” which “threatens the stability of nations”. China has the largest distant water fishing fleet in the world, according to the report.
The US warned Beijing that it must be more responsible in sovereign waters and comply with international agreements.
The report read: “The People’s Armed Forces Maritime Militia, estimated to include more than 3,000 vessels, actively carries out aggressive behaviour on the high seas and in sovereign waters of other nations to coerce and intimidate legitimate fishers in support of the Chinese Communist Party’s long term maritime strategic goals.
“China must exercise more responsible flag state control over its vessels, including its DWF, and demonstrate that it is taking the necessary steps to ensure compliance with international norms and governance structures.”
The US urged that sovereign nations must be allowed to “benefit from their own economic resources”.
Last year, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration identified that China had a “troubling expanse of alleged violations” by fishing vessels.
The US Coast Guard has increased its tough stance near China’s waters.
American military forces have been conducting marine exercises in the South China Sea.
The US Coast Guard has also joined the US Navy in freedom of navigation operations across the Taiwan Strait.
China’s fishing fleet is estimated to have around 17,000 vessels and more than 12,000 of these ships reportedly operate in non-Chinese waters.
A recent report by the UK-based Overseas Development Institute said China was the largest contributor to the “global fisheries crisis”.
The institute said this is due to China's large fishing fleet.
In its report, the US Coast Guard said China and Taiwan “represented nearly 60 percent of all global distant water fishing effort in other countries’ waters from 2015 to 2017.”
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