China, as a responsible major fishing country, attaches great importance to the protection of the marine environment and resources and implements the strictest monitoring and control measures on overseas fishing vessels, a spokesperson said Thursday.
Spokesman Wang Wenbin made the remarks at a press briefing after Ecuadorian foreign minister said the country will be surveilling Chinese fishing fleets near the Galapagos Islands and that Ecuador expects to hold bilateral talks with the Chinese side.
“China and Ecuador are in friendly communication these days through bilateral channels,” Wang said, adding that on Thursday, the fishery authorities of the two countries held a special video teleconference, which led to positive consensus and good results.
Meanwhile, to contribute to the protection of fishery resources in the region, China’s fishery authority has decided to ban fishing in the high seas west of the Galapagos Marine Reserve from September to November this year, which has been appreciated by Ecuador and other relevant countries, Wang said.
“We will continue to require enterprises engaged in deep-sea fishing to strictly abide by relevant laws and regulations,” he added.
In response to some U.S. politicians’ irresponsible remarks on this issue, Wang said the United States is not qualified to make accusations against other countries’ maritime affairs as it has not yet ratified the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. “We urge the U.S. side, instead of trying desperately to stir up trouble for other countries, to focus more on its own affairs.”
