China's unilateral fishing ban in the East Sea is worthless

“China’s unilateral temporary fishing ban in the sea area with the above-mentioned defined scope has violated Vietnam’s sovereignty, sovereign rights, jurisdiction and interests in the East Sea and is invalid,” the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment affirmed in an official dispatch sent to the People’s Committees of coastal provinces and cities regarding China’s announcement of a temporary fishing ban at sea.

The Bureau of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of Sanya City, China, announced a temporary fishing ban at sea in 2025 to impose a fishing holiday in the East Sea, from 12:00 on May 1, 2025 to 12:00 on August 16, 2025 in the sea area from latitude 12 degrees 00' North and north to latitude 26 degrees 30' North (including the Gulf of Tonkin).

In light of the above situation, the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment informs and requests the People's Committees of coastal provinces and centrally-run cities to inform fishermen about China's temporary fishing ban at sea. At the same time, it affirms that China's unilateral temporary fishing ban in the sea area with the above-mentioned defined scope has violated Vietnam's sovereignty , sovereign rights, jurisdiction and interests in the East Sea and is invalid.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Environment recommends that provinces and cities encourage our fishermen to stay at sea and produce normally within Vietnam's waters and instruct fishermen to organize into groups, teams, and groups when going to sea to support each other; raise vigilance against China's possible tough actions, even arrests, of fishing vessels operating in the waters and during the above mentioned time; promptly notify competent authorities of violations by foreign fishing vessels in Vietnam's waters.

Provinces and cities direct competent authorities to strengthen monitoring of fishing activities of fishing vessels in sea areas through the fishing vessel monitoring system (VMS), take measures to warn fishing vessels when necessary and especially strictly manage the departure/arrival of fishing vessels operating during this time.

Localities continue to deploy and strictly implement Directive No. 49/CT BNN-TCTS dated January 6, 2021 of the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development (now the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment) on strengthening the management of fishing vessels, ensuring safety for people and fishing vessels operating in fisheries.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Environment requests localities to promptly report any unexpected incidents at sea involving fishing vessels and fishermen to the hotline of the Department of Fisheries and Fisheries Surveillance, phone number: 0815 886 188./.

(Vietnam News Agency/Vietnam+)

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/trung-quoc-don-phuong-cam-danh-bat-ca-tren-bien-dong-la-khong-co-gia-tri-post1037420.vnp