Vietnam fishing ban protest ‘provocation’: Chinese analyst
Vietnam’s protest against a Chinese fishing ban in the South China Sea is a deliberate provocation and may bring more uncertainty to the disputed waters, a Chinese analyst warned on Tuesday.
The Vietnam Fisheries Society issued a statement protesting China’s fishing ban in the South China Sea, saying the 11-week ban violates Vietnam’s rights and sovereignty to certain islands, and hampers peace and stability in the region, Vietnamese newspaper VN Express reported Tuesday.
The society’s statement follows Vietnam’s foreign ministry voicing opposition to the ban last week, the report said.
In early February China’s Ministry of Agriculture announced the ban starting May 1 and ending August 16.
The ban helps fishermen realize the importance of protecting marine and fishery resources, said Gu Xiaosong, an expert on Southeast Asian studies at South China’s Guangxi Academy of Social Sciences.
“China will patrol the region and use legal methods to deal with any foreign fishing boat that enters the territory,” he told the Global Times.
“Vietnam protests every year after China issues its routine fishing ban. This is deliberate provocation of China’s sovereignty over the region.”
In the 2015 protest, Nguyen Viet Thang, chairman of the Vietnam Association of Fisheries, said the association was encouraging fishermen to keep sailing while calling for more government protection.
In 2014, Vietnam sent ships to obstruct drilling by Chinese companies in waters where the collision took place, the Xinhua News Agency reported.
The Chinese side lodged serious representations to the Vietnamese side after the incident, asking them to stop disruptive activities, Xinhua said.
The USS Carl Vinson visited Vietnam in March, a move Reuters reported as “welcomed by countries nervously eyeing China’s move in the South China Sea.”
Vietnam has been challenging China in the disputed region ever since China-Philippines conflict subdued, which give rise to uncertainty in this region, said Gu.