Vietnam said it resolutely opposes a temporary Chinese ban on fishing in parts of the Gulf of Tonkin, the latest in a series of sovereignty disputes in and around the South China Sea.
China’s move came as the two neighbors seek to patch up ties since a bilateral row erupted in May last year when China deployed a US$1 billion oil rig in waters claimed by Taiwan, Vietnam and China. That led to confrontations at sea between rival vessels and violent anti-Chinese protests in Vietnam.
The ban on all fishing activities between Saturday last week and Aug. 1 violates international law and Vietnam’s sovereignty and jurisdictional rights, the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement posted on its Web site late on Saturday.
China launched the annual fishing ban in 1999 “to promote the sustainable development of the fishing industry in the South China Sea and protect the fundamental interests of fishermen,” according to state news agency Xinhua. Authorities have threatened violators with fines, license revocations, confiscations and possible criminal charges.
Taiwan, China and Vietnam have overlapping claims to large parts of the South China Sea and various remote islands and reefs. Tensions rose in 2012 and last year after Beijing detained several Vietnamese fishermen for fishing in disputed waters. Both sides accused the other of intimidation and intentionally ramming rival vessels.
The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday said that the rules are meant to protect marine resources in the area.
“This is China’s international responsibility and obligation,” ministry spokesman Hong Lei (洪磊) told reporters.
On Sunday, Chinese Minister of Defense Chang Wanquan (常萬全) told Vietnamese Minister of Defense Phung Quang Thanh that both countries have “the wisdom and capability to achieve success in tackling maritime issues,” the state-run China Daily newspaper reported. The meeting, the first between the two countries’ defense ministers, took place in China’s southwestern Yunnan Province.
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