2 days ago
Chinese fishing boats head out to East, South China Seas
Fishing boats have set sail from Chinese ports after the lifting of an annual ban on operating in parts of the East and South China Seas.
The areas include waters around Taiwan, and those off the Senkaku Islands in Japan's Okinawa Prefecture.
Japan controls the Senkaku islands. The Japanese government maintains they are an inherent part of Japan's territory. China and Taiwan claim them.
On Saturday, the Chinese government lifted the ban that it had imposed each year for what it says was to protect marine resources.
A large number of boats left a port in Quanzhou in Fujian Province, facing the East China Sea.
Tensions were raised after the ban was lifted in 2016, when more than 200 fishing boats swarmed to waters near the islands. Some of them, including Chinese government vessels, entered Japan's territorial waters.
Fujian provincial authorities apparently hope to prevent tensions this year. They have instructed fishers to be rigorously attentive to sensitive sea areas and consciously avoid political risk. Officials are expected to strengthen monitoring and law enforcement measures for the ships.
One of the fishers told NHK that they are not allowed to operate near Japan and Taiwan, and that their activities are restricted to designated maritime zones.
Chinese government ships have often entered Japan's territorial waters near the Senkaku Islands. The Japan Coast Guard says a record high number of such vessels were spotted in the contiguous zone just outside Japanese territorial waters on 355 days in 2024.
