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.
