Axios
Intel Agency Says US Should Consider Joining South America In Fighting Illegal Fishing In China
The United States should consider leading a multilateral coalition with South American nations to react against China’s illegal fishing and trade practices, a US intelligence agency recommended in a document obtained by Axios. Why it matters: China’s illegal fishing industry is the largest in the world. Beijing has made fishing in distant waters a geopolitical priority, seeing Chinese private fishing fleets as a way to extend state power far beyond its shores. Stay on top of the latest market trends and economic insights with Axios Markets. Sign up for free A senior US government official confirmed to Axios that several government agencies are “looking at this in light of the president’s priorities,” which include “deepening cooperation with allies and partners in the challenges we face for our national economy. safety.” What’s happening: Huge fleets of hundreds of Chinese vessels have had boats fishing illegally in the territorial waters of the countries of South America, including outside the Galapagos Islands. The activity depleted stocks and disrupted food chains, in a practice known as illegal, unreported or unregulated fishing (IUU). South American countries say these fleets are a challenge to their economic and environmental security, but their navies often lack the resources to effectively monitor and patrol their own waters. Last year, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru said they would join forces to defend their territorial waters from incursions by Chinese ships. Details: “South American countries would likely receive a coalition effort to increase trade pressure on China and comply with fisheries regulations,” officials from the Office of Intelligence and Analysis wrote in a February 5 document labeled sensitive. , but not classified. “Unilateral pressure from the United States would likely result in China applying similar sanctions, just as Beijing did in enacting a new law to contain US restrictions on technology companies,” said officials at the office, an intelligence agency of the Department of Security. Internal. Several offices and agencies are working together in this effort, including the United States Coast Guard, the Office of Naval Intelligence, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the State Department, according to the document and government sources. The document was assessed with “high confidence” that Chinese fishing in South American waters would also “cause continued economic damage to US domestic fishing as a result of anti-competitive tactics”. He assessed with “medium confidence” that China is likely “to continue exploratory fishing practices in South American waters, despite recent actions by governments and an intergovernmental organization to limit these activities.” South American countries would receive a coalition to increase the application of fishing standards. What they are saying: “There is a lack of understanding of this problem, which is a global problem, that fisheries are very stressed,” said the high government. The official told Axios. The Trump administration “has started some work on the issue of counter-IUU globally on the role of China, as it has emerged as the biggest perpetrator of this,” said the official, who added that the Biden government continues to see this as a priority. background: Former Chinese President Hu Jintao called for China to become a major maritime power, and in 2013, the State Council of China raised the fishing industry to the level of a strategic industry. The Chinese government provides subsidies to the fishing industry, which allows boats to cover the fuel costs of shipping to distant coasts, including near West Africa and South America. “China’s leaders see distant water fleets as a way to project presence around the world, so that when the time comes to establish regulatory structures, they have a big say in how these structures are established, “said Tabitha Mallory, CEO of consultancy China Ocean Institute and professor affiliate of the University of Washington. The objective is to be “present in all the world’s oceans so that they can direct the results of international agreements covering maritime resources,” said Mallory, “including not only fishing, but mining from the seabed, the Arctic” and other issues and important regions. The US government has paid more attention to China’s increasingly global deepwater fishing fleets in recent years. The Maritime Security and Fisheries Supervision Act (SAFE), passed in December 2019, established a “government-wide approach” to tackling IUU fishing. In May 2020, President Trump issued an executive order to combat illegal deep-sea fishing and help promote U.S. competitiveness in the industry. In September 2020, the State Department added fish caught by fishing fleets in distant waters from China to its list of products produced by forced labor – a potential concern also raised in the DHS document. on these issues as well, “said Mallory.” Anything the United States does on its own will be seen by the Chinese simply as part of the background to the growing competition for power. ” Like this article? Get more from Axios and subscribe to Axios Markets for free.