The North Koreans aren’t the only ones attacking Korean military boats – Chinese fishermen are too. According to the AP:
About 50 Chinese fishing boats were illegally fishing in western South Korean waters off Gunsan city, about 170 miles (270 kilometers) south of Seoul, when the South Korean ship approached them, coast guard spokesman Ji Kwan-tae said. One of the boats intentionally hit the larger coast guard ship to allow fellow Chinese vessels to sail back to their waters, and then capsized, he said.
It never fails – whenever I am getting ready to blog something someone beats me to it – so…..hat tip to CM who, in the open thread, also linked to this Choson article.
From a historical point – CM notes that no one seems to respect Korea’s waters. During the late Joseon period, Japanese and Chinese fishing boats (along with smugglers and pirates) often intruded into Korean waters.
{ 53 comments… read them below or add one }
I just don’t understand the leaders of this country called South Korea.
You got to stand up for what is right. It is right of South Korea to protect its own sovereignty and its territory from intruders. The Chinese ships have been intruding on South Korea since at least 1990. Nothing was done about it, and the problem just keeps getting worse every year. Chinese see South Korea’s weakness, and they will take advantage of it until South Korea realizes its weakness and start taking real actions.
The amount that South Korea spends on coast guards to chase down Chinese ships must be astronomical by now. For at least once, Korea needs to show that violent Chinese fishermen resisting with weapons will get them a bullet in their teeth. Couple of sunken Chinese ships will probably put an immediate end to the two decades old problem once the word gets around. South Korean coast guards have the right to defend themselves against provocations.
Apologizing to the Chinese is the exactly the wrong move to make. They will just take more advantage of it and see South Korea as a weakling (which no doubt is showing, it is). A force of resolve is the only way to deal with these Chinese and North Korean animals. Force is all they understand, everything else is seen as weakness.
Of course I understand why South Korean government would tip toe around this problem. It’s because South Korea is held hostage by its own success – the economy. The same economy that relies on China’s buying power. They are buying more South Korean goods than they sell to South Korea. But it’s time to rethink this notion again. Most of whatever South Korea sells goes to assembling products by Korean companies in China, that are destined to developed markets in the West. It is China who’s making money off of South Korea. The sooner South Korea realizes that it has more leverage than it really thinks it has, the better.
Once again I will ask the question, how long must South Korea be held hostage to North Korea and China? When will the policy toward them change?
If I was living next door to China, my fish would be the last thing I’d be worried about.
Especially since China has almost as many spare men as Korea has people.
If China’s economy hits the wall (and plenty of people are suggesting it will), the CCP is going to have a hell of a lot of angry young men to placate. Last time China had too many angry young men, guess where Mao sent them?
HS,
The really scary part is since they aborted so many female babies those angry young men may come looking for more than land!
This could be win win though if they mistake the boy bands for little girls. Quite easy to do really.
Reminds me of something: a good first start of throwing the Chinese out of the boat. Literally.
Reminds me of something else: ROK fishermen outclass their Chinese counterparts.
Give maritime defence duties to the ROK fishermen?
That’s what I was getting at. As it is, North Korean women are already getting snapped up by Chinese bachelors.
Who could make that mistake? Korean boy bands are remarkably masculine.
Well, throwing all the Chinese out of the boat will be a good start. Just get rid of the evidence completely, no mess, and no hassle. There will be just whole bunch of Chinese people missing at sea and nobody would know what happened. How about a sub attack on the boats as a practice target? A mystery torpedo that sinks Chinese ships from beneath the water – who would know what happened? Would China complain and accuse South Korea, when the Chinese ships are not where they’re supposed to be at? Just blame it on North Korean subs. Why not? Turn the entire South Korean EEZ into another Bermuda Triangle for Chinese ships. I can think of variety of ways to get rid of this problem. Just be imaginative.
“If I was living next door to China, my fish would be the last thing I’d be worried about.”
What’s your input as to why South Korea seems to suffer by far, the most in Asia when it comes to illegal Chinese fishermen. Why is the problem less pronounced in Japan, Vietnam, Russia, etc? Why is the entire South Korean coasts covered in Chinese vessels? And why the other Asian countries don’t seem to have a similar level of Chinese intrusions?
I don’t think South Korea has as much influence here as one might think. Reasons why I think this:
- Economically, SK is totally beholden to China, and this is not going to change any time soon.
- Sheer numbers. China has more desperate fishermen willing to take risks (and at the moment, it’s hardly much of a risk) than Korea can handle, even if they beef up their coast guard.
- Truth be told, China has more desperate fishermen than China can handle, so don’t expect much help from Beijing. If they care, which I doubt.
This problem will persist. The only chance Korea has is to get utterly draconian in their enforcement: shoot first, ask questions later, pursue fleeing vessels, execute prisoners. And even then, I doubt Korea has the numbers to really make a difference.
Sucks to live next to China.
Standing up to North Korea is possible. Standing up to China is simply not in the cards. They might file a formal complaint, but that’s as serious a penalty as China would ever pay. SK does far too much business with China (they are the largest trading bloc) to risk serious repercussions. As China’s bubble begins to burst I’d expect more of this behavior. Moreover, as China’s militaristic attitudes towards other nations increases, such as with the Japanese incident this year then I think we can expect not just more incidents, but more serious incidents.
cm,
It could be worse – you could be Vietnam.
Notice how China deals with fishing boats it considers illegal?
Now compare and contrast with China’s reaction when other countries detain illegal Chinese fishermen.
Like Granfalloon said, it sucks living next to China.
So Korea should do nothing and suffer the chronic bacterial infection. That seems to be the consensus.
You know what? I am truly sorry Truman didn’t bombed these SOB’s. Wasn’t it China which prevented Korea being reunified in 1950? And now there’s all kinds of problems that they’re still causing to this day.
South Korea is an enigma unmatched anywhere. Let’s see now.
1) They can’t defend against North Korean attacks. They must follow a “rule of engagement”.
2) They have to give pay off North Korea.
3) They can’t say anything to the Chinese when their boats come calling.
4) Not only that their naval coast guards must get beaten by the Chinese fishermen wielding deadly weapons.
5) North Koreans attack at will, sink South Korean ships, kill South Koreans, and threaten Seoul with nuclear destruction.
6) North Korea, China, and now Russia say South Korea shouldn’t carry out a lousy naval exercise. Now South Korea is making up excuses of bad weather to put off the exercise. What’s the excuse going to be come next week? Any half dim wit knows this is just stalling.
Is South Korea an empty rusting bucket that everybody kicks around? You might as well put a blind fold to the Korean, tie his hands behind his backs, string up the legs to the post, and for good measure, nail the Korean to the floor. Then if he moves, kick him again.
And I guess that’s what they mean when they say Koreans are a slave race?
whine m, whine m, whine m,
they’ll take you man, I think they take 40 year olds.
go enlist.
stop quarter backing from a chair.
Cm, if America can’t stand up to china, why do you think Korea can?
Even though it sucks for China to share space with North and South Korea at least it is a good source of women.
There are still fish in the West Sea? The North Koreans haven’t shelled them all?
SK maritime police do seize and detain PRC fisherman illegally in Korean waters. However, when NK vessels are found fishing in SK waters they are escorted / chased out. Perhaps the PRC wants the same favourable terms?
Very true.
Keep in mind there is also smuggling going on between PRC and ROK fishermen, high-value items such as sesame seeds and oil, pine nuts, ginseng, viagra, and the like, and as on land this has a corrupting effect on the authorities. If this trade is lucrative it may attract more “fishing” vessels and entice some fisherman to smuggle items such a drugs, weapons, and antlers, items which would result in long prison terms for those captured.
Anyway, this incident reminds me of this.
It a good source for women? Maybe, but it’s also a good source for money, technology, culture, music, soaps, and plastic surgery. How that grab ya, chinaman?
Robert, South Korea and China have attempted to solve this problem though China has much accounting to do; their bureaucracy suffers from ineptitude unless certain powers focus their resources on solving a given problem, due to political concerns.
http://www.joongangdaily.joins.com/article/view.asp?aid=2921280
Living next to China does suck, I agree, but when a body of Chinese workers move to another country or become enmeshed in a foreign industry, the effect can be the same as living next door.
Anyone else think its a load of BS that when South Korea wants to exercise its right as a sovereign nation to hold to a peaceful military drill there has to an emergency Security Council meeting, but when North Korea bombs an island or sinks a ship, said body is not allowed to discuss anything?
The US should have vetoed this nonsense right from this start. The UN is a joke.
Basically, the South Korean government needs to grow a backbone and stop giving the Chinese, Russians, Americans, and North Koreans veto power over their internal affairs. I’m starting to feel like I’m living in the late-18th Century Joseon Dynasty.
Milton -
You mean 19th century – right?
Said with a smile.
Well Russia is mad at the US for not attending the emergency UN security meeting. But really, is there any point to it all when you have two of the worst backers of NK having a seat in the highest UN position? Where were those gang of two when South Korea was under attack? It was a sweet move of the US to give a finger to an organization that is left with no credibility whatsoever.
And as for Pawi’s question: “Cm, if America can’t stand up to china, why do you think Korea can?”
I’ll answer that with a question of my own. If those Chinese ships were off the coast of Los Angeles illegally fishing, what would happen to those violent Chinese fishermen with cigerattes in their mouths wielding deadly weapons against coast guards? Do you think the US coast guards would allow this type of nonsense going on for never mind one Chinese boat, but for almost two fucking decades??
It seems South Korea has a slave mentality. Presumably down to the fact that throughout its history it has always been a vassal state of one or more of its neighbours. It’s pretty pathetic really and they should grow some balls. The pathetic excuse over the live firing exercise being put back due to ‘bad weather’ shows how little self respect that Koreans actually have for themselves. I’m not war monger, but SK needs to stand up for itself rather than kowtow to the Chinese, Russia government and North Korea.
All the rhetoric coming out of Seoul about defending itself is weak, SK has to show it is a dog that isn’t all bark and no bite. They should forget about all that Dokdo nonsense and focus on their crazy ‘brothers’ up north. They should also stop teaching all the pro north propaganda to the kids.
If those Nork bastards get up to more mischief SK has to really kick some arse this time, rather than rewarding bad behaviour with trucks full of rice.
Speaking of a return to the 18th/19th century, here’s an idea: issue privateering licenses. Let any yahoo with a boat and some guns (Filipino pirates?) go hunting for Chinese poachers. Wouldn’t cost the South Korean government a dime: privateers get paid in what they seize, in this case Chinese fishing vessels (and, I guess, fish).
Not exactly a neighborly thing to do, and I suppose China could certainly squash it if they felt the need to. But it would sure shake things up.
I actually like the vigilante ideal since the SK government is so inept and unwilling to do anything. But SK government may crack down hard on the vigilantes because they are much more easier to handle than China, especially if it leads to more anti Korean feelings in China. Already, even this case is having a back lash in China against Koreans. The Chinese are incensed that some of their citizens have died while fishing. They don’t understand why Chinese are not allowed to fish in Korean waters. They say Korea falls under China’s EEZ, and other unreasonable nonsense.
“South Korea wants to exercise its right as a sovereign nation to hold to a peaceful military drill ”
Same peaceful drill that has been taking place for many years. Now all of a sudden it’s become a big problem to NK and China. Anyone half an eye can see what they’re trying to do here!
This is a historic test of Korea’s sovereignty. If throughout history Korea has been a vassal of a greater power (primarily China), and if China is determined to re-establish itself as the East Asian hegemon, now is the time for Korea to show that it will have nothing to do with this game. This is an opportunity to demonstrate that the era of playing the role of dong-saeng (동생) to China’s role of hyeong-nim (형님) is over.
My message to Lee Myung-bak and his commanders: This is not the moment to blink. Stand firm on Yeongpyeong exercises. Stand firm on defending your territorial waters.
Robert,
Yes, I did mean 19th Century. It’s embarrassing that I got that wrong on your thread of all places
Yesterday’s UN session was great. Once again, Chinese arrogance is standing in the way of a peaceful resolution to this crisis.
This is usual Chinese behavior, they rammed Vietnamese, Japanese and even American naval ships with their fishing junks now they did it to Koreans. Then they escalate the incident as if they owned the sea.
From Chosun Ilbo – “中네티즌, 자국 어민 사고사 관련 한국 비난”
The news article in Korean.
http://news.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2010/12/20/2010122001503.html?Dep1=news&Dep2=headline1&Dep3=h1_02
Quoted from the article:
“또 안후이(安徽)성에 사는 한 네티즌은 “미국의 추종자인 한국은 중국을 자극하려 한다”며 “그들은 뭘 생각하고 있는 것이냐”고 썼다. 심지어 후난(湖南)성에 거주하는 ‘치우양’이란 이름의 한 블로거는 “우리는 북한 사람들이 한미동맹을 파괴하도록 도와야 한다”는 과격한 주장을 했다.”
yeah.. it’s the same old story.. -_-;;
Both China and the North do not like the “ROK-US” Alliance. Well, some extreme leftists in the South voice the same opinion…
And China will have a super aircraft carrier soon (I remember reading an article on the web and they say.. in the year of 2012, 2014..?), then (we) the South need to be better equipped. The South lives next to China but does not even have nukes and thus at least (we) SK needs a superior aircraft carrier.
To the best of my knowledge, the only territorial dispute between PRC and SK in the East China Sea is a submerged rock (Socotra/Leodo/Suyan Rock). Assuming that there are established EEZ & PMZ, it’s a matter of enforcement. There are a number of issues here but I can only go over a few in limited time and space.
First, China’s own fishery and maritime law enforcement is inadequate beyond coastal waters. The vast majority of China’s Coast Guard and Marine Police operate small boats, there are only a handful of Coast Guard cutters that are suitable for off-shore patrol. The PRC government has committed to building 30 new cutters over the next 5 years, but even that will be insufficient. There are simply too many boats and ships in the area to look after, and the PRC political leadership will demand the Cost Guard to allocate its meager resources to maintain patrols around Senkaku/Diaoyutai islands. Maybe if the PLAN were to decommission all the old Jianghu class frigates and refurb them as CG cutters, they might have enough patrol cutters (on top of new ships).
Second, the entire East China Sea is over-fished. Asian fishermen in general have the mentality that if they can catch it, it goes into the bucket, so they suck at marine conservation. The PRC government is aware of the issue and has issued fishing bans in areas where they have unilateral control (by EEZ or force of arms), such as South China Sea. But in East China Sea we have China, NK, SK, Japan, and Taiwan. Unless if the governments were willing to unite in a fishing ban and quota system, the situation is not likely to improve. The first step in resolving the issue is to reduce the number of fishing boats (read: eliminating jobs) and set a strict quota system for everyone, and that’s going to be a tough sell. At present rate of decline in fish stocks, I think in the future the only thing that fishermen are going to catch there are squid and jellyfish.
Third, if SK’s Coast Guard is having trouble of Chinese fishermen, they should demand China to send their Marine Police officers and station one on SK CG cutter. When boarding a fishing ship you send that officer in first. There are costs and benefits to this strategy. The benefit is that it’s a lot easier to ask for cops than ships. The cost is that if the Chinese side can do this cheaply by sending police officers, SK will end up footing the bill on the ships.
Finally, like it or not, if the suspect threatens the police officer with a deadly weapon in hand in ANY country, the officer is justified to respond in kind after ONE warning. If the suspect fails to obey and drop the weapon, then the officer can take any reasonable measure to protect himself from harm. If this means shooting someone armed with a knife before he can reach you, so be it.
I don’t know why this gets so complicated. Just warn China that Korea’s waters are off limits to Chinese fishers. If they don’t obey, shoot a warning shot, and roll the camera. If they still don’t obey, board the ships with machine guns pointed at them. If they try to resist with weapons, shoot a burst of gunfire in the air, board the ship, and if they try to attack, shoot them down. Now you have video tape of what happened.
Per the Forbes blog:
This incident seems to be more an example of simple poaching.
This fellow’s report on the incident is over the top.
CM (32), They did received warnings from S.Korea but they didn’t listened as usual. Chinese will never listen to anyone.
It’s official now. China’s government blames this on South Korea.
http://news.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2010/12/21/2010122101744.html?Dep1=news&Dep2=headline1&Dep3=h1_03
Big surprise? Not really.
China is demanding South Korea compensate the Chinese fishermen, and that South Korea does not have the right to sink any ships nor try to board them, even if they’re illegal. And that each side have the right to fish in each other’s waters. China wants South Korea to punish those responsible for sinking the ship (presuming they are pointing fingers at Korean coast guards). This sounds all completely bull shit to me, but I am not familiar with China – Korea fisheries agreement nor the EEZ rules. Can anyone educate me on this before I slam my Chinese made chair on the floor?
Here’s the solution to the Chinese fishermen irritant: cease the Coast Guard patrols. Somehow or another ROK fishermen find weapons on their boats. Would you want to tussle with ROK fishermen pissed about Chinese paoching their fish? A few Chinese heads split by axes just may get the message across.
But, as I said before, there’s more than fishing going on in the West Sea.
BTW cm, I’m glad to see that you resoundingly condemn Chinese poaching. I’m sure you feel likewise about Koreans poaching fish from the waters of others. Look forward to reading your rants about that. Will you be slamming your Korean-made TV against the wall when the Koreans fail to cease?
Right is right, ain’t it?
Seouldout, I admit Koreans poaching fish in other waters are also a problem and in those cases, each country has the right to hold them responsible and prosecute them to the fullest. Of course I have no sympathy for those renegade Korean poachers if they got into trouble.
But apples and oranges in this case. China claiming sovereignty over South Korean waters are another case entirely, and the number of boats that poach Korean waters and the frequency, don’t even compare. Their encroachment over South Korean waters is also about territorial issues. Obviously this tells me China does not respect Korea’s waters nor take seriously South Korea’s sovereignty. They do not view South Korea as an equal partner, but as in the same status of a servant nation 200 years ago.
Remember, from a Chinese perspective the Koreans are claiming sovereignty over Chinese waters. Why are Korean Coast Guard vessels impeding Chinese boats in Chinese waters? That’s the problem w/ neighbors, each claims territory that the other believes to be its own.
Does Korea claim waters off the coast of New Zealand or Chile or _____? Nope. Yet the Korean fishing fleets infringe on the sovereignty of others. Obviously its clear that aren’t Korean waters. Why are the boats there? The issue is evident; Korea doesn’t respect others.
Thanks for pointing that out.
Again, apples and oranges. Korean poachers who do poach do it on their own. They are not supported by South Korean government. Three hundred Chinese ships were caught last year in Korean waters, which suggests the problem of Chinese over fishing far outweighs a few South Korean hired ships that may infringe upon other nations. It’s the matter of scale. The problem of Chinese fishing illegally is much worse than a few South Koreans who do also. Mean time, China’s illegal fishing is backed up by China’s government – unofficially. Again, if those South Koreans are caught poaching, they should be punished severely, and most South Koreans would probably be embarrassed by it. China’s case is different since they seem to scapegoating the victims and are asking for compensation. This is unheard of.
Considering China’s comments, which seems to be in contravention of the June fishing agreement of this year, the Forbes blog was more correct than I had thought, regarding the Chinese Government’s use of fishing boats to foment political turmoil in Asia.
Seoul should pay nothing to the PRC and prepare for a bleak future in its relations but then, I suspect this is already the case.
Of course it’s apple and oranges – that’s why I thanked you. The Chinese may believe they are in their own territory. Koreans off the coast of New Zealand know that are thousands of miles away from their own territory.
How do we know that? How do we know Korea’s poaching isn’t backed up bu the Korean gov’t – unofficially?
And again, a territorial dispute between neighbors is very difficult to sort out. Overlapping claims. Moreover, SK detains PRC vessels yet it doesn’t detain NK vessels, which also encroach – they are escorted out. Perhaps this act is a signal interpreted by the PRC in a way Seoul doesn’t intend.
Inconsistency causes confusion, so the PRC is going to push to see how far they can get on. You think they’re the only only who do this?
You’re making a lot of allegations. They may be true. But you’re short on facts. You’ve already acknowledged that Korean vessels encroach the waters of others far from home. They Chinese can use this info against Korea – it’s Korea that encroaches PRC waters too! On a large scale or small… a crime is a crime. It seems to me that Korea has yet to understand that actions elsewhere can have repercussions closer to home.
This is a bit unclear to me. I understand the compensation demand. How are they scapegoating the victims? Who are the victims? Who are the scapegoats? And is it really unheard of?
@41 – the Chinese are clever buggers. The use of civilian actors to achieve military objectives is shrewd – it can’t be claimed as an attack by a state. I consider myself lucky to live in these days to see what trick next is up the Chinese sleeves. An emerging superpower… it’s at least the historical equivalent to the collapse of the USSR, and perhaps a greater event. Someone (hoju_saram?) wrote it was Korea’s misfortune to be in China’s neighborhood. Keep in mind that the Chinese were also a generous neighbor in the past. Korea may do very well by cozying up with Beijing. Could ease reunification. Could benefit the economy. Just how many fish are left in the West Sea?
“How do we know that? How do we know Korea’s poaching isn’t backed up bu the Korean gov’t – unofficially?”
Err.. their spokesman came out and demanded a compensation package and briefed the press that the Chinese have the right to be there to fish? It’s in the article. Like I said I don’t know what if any fishery treaties have Korea signed with China, and where this location of the dispute is, and if indeed is overlapping with EEZ, as you claim. Rethinking about this, I need more clarification on these territorial issues before going further to decide if this is even a territorial dispute or a flat out invasion.
“This is a bit unclear to me. I understand the compensation demand. How are they scapegoating the victims? Who are the victims? Who are the scapegoats? And is it really unheard of?”
If they want compensation then isn’t it reasonable to believe they think they were wronged, and are blaming the Korean coast guards?
“But you’re short on facts. You’ve already acknowledged that Korean vessels encroach the waters of others far from home. They Chinese can use this info against Korea – it’s Korea that encroaches PRC waters too!”
I’m short on facts? Here are the facts:
They used picks and axes and shovels against Korean maritime police – yes that’s unheard of to use deadly weapons against a foreign police in a foreign land, and even kill them. Then have the nerve to ask for compensation and demand South Korea that Chinese ships are protected Do the Korean illegal ships do that to Chili and NZ? Does Korea have thousand ship armada off the coasts of Chili and NZ? Do Koreans think Chili and NZ are Korea’s vassal state, therefore a fair game to violate their maritime borders? Is Korea a threat to Chili and NZ’s sovereignty? Are we talking about Korean fishing poachers or thousands of Chinese illegal ships that invade Korea everyday? Two separate topics, no?
I love how you spell it Chili. I need to get dinner. Will reply in a while.
“It seems to me that Korea has yet to understand that actions elsewhere can have repercussions closer to home.”
If you want to get into moral equivalents then really, we could all be going round and round. For example, maybe the Chinese do not respect American influence in Korea and they view South Korea with the US controlling Korea, as a threat to China, especially after how Americans have supported the bombings that maimed and killed innocent people in Iraq. Maybe this is why Chinese are justified in trying to control South Korea?
That’s the Chinese point of view who see Uncle Sam as the main instigator of all these problems in Asia. That’s what their press and their opinion polls are saying.
“Chile”, corrected.
“That’s the Chinese point of view who see Uncle Sam as the main instigator of all these problems in Asia. That’s what their press and their opinion polls are saying.”
I think seouldout is just trying to wind you up here, cm, but please, please, nobody here (even to make a point) should ever descend to the level of Chinese “logic” — this always marks the death of reasoned discussion. (See the Economist, WSJ, NYT, Peking Duck…)
I can’t remember which Korean War history (Max Hastings?) but one detail that stays with me was that a number of Chinese soldiers captured on the peninsula, when interrogated, were unaware that they were no longer in China. Those simple peasant soldiers in the 1950s may well be like Chinese fishermen today — inculcated with an expanded view of China’s territory and bread to look down on non-Chinese Asians.
It wasn’t long ago that they threw such a hissy fit (backed by its power of purchase, and also control over the supply of rare earth) that Japan had to let go of the “illegally detained” captain.
China is behaving like a a class-A bully, at least with regards to maritime borders and fishing.
Well I come back from my tasty chili con carne and find that slim has a notion… damn you slim!
Everyone has a very serious Chinese problem. And those wily buggers will tie ya in knots so far upside down and inside out, backwards and forwards that sure ’nuff you find you’ve put a noose around your own neck. As cm as demonstrated.
And still everyone keep throwing money at ‘em.
In the ocean between China and South Korea, where the EEZ claims overlap, you have the provisional water zone (PMZ). Typical PMZ agreement involves joint resource management, gradual reduction of fishing activities in the formally “open” waters, and so on. The number of fishing boats entering the PMZ is limited by agreement from both sides and licensed by their perspective governments. In reality, trying to police open seas and putting 300,000 of your own fishermen out of work is not an easy task.
Howver, if the fishing boats in question were fishing east of the PMZ, that is, in an area that is clearly defined as S. Korea’s EEZ outside of PMZ zone, then that is in clear violation.
As I’ve said previously, the ocean in that area is over-fished and the long term solution requires the governments to impose tough restrictions on their own fishing industry, scrapping many fishing fleets and putting their own people out of work. Fish doesn’t necessarily breed and stay in one area. For example, Eel travels between Japan-Taiwan-Philippine’s EEZ to and back for spawning, and you have fishermen along the way hungry for cieche alla pisana. Unless if all countries involved agree to a strict quota management system, ultimately it wouldn’t matter as fish stock crash.
The ocean’s resources is not unlimited, the conflict that we see today is the result of too many hands in the cookie jar. People who are desperate to make ends meet will not obey laws. The solution, as bad as it sounds, is the scuttle fishing fleets and impose strict restrictions, licensing, and closed seasons. See US-Canada Halibut Treaty for example.
Some Korean news say the Chinese have overfished their coast lines and they have more boats then they can support. The Chinese poaching has escalated and they are now much more brazen. It’s really offensive to see their red flags flying high over their vessels bunched together, as if they are conquerers out to conquer foreign lands. What are they so proud of, stealing fish from other nations? South Korean fishermen who can’t fish because of the tensions with North Korea, haplessly watch the Chinese boats wipe out the fisheries.
Below is the comment made by Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman, demanding compensation, punishment of the coast guards, and South Korea not to let this happen again. In other news report, the spokeswoman was quoted as telling South Korea should not board Chinese ships.
http://news.asiaone.com/News/Latest%2BNews/Asia/Story/A1Story20101221-254032.html
I tend to believe this is a Chinese government backed mission, and many of those fishermen are Chinese naval and intelligent officers in disguise, sent to cause havoc and assert Chinese control around Asia.
Spanish fleets tend to play the role of aggressive, lawless overfishers in the Atlantic that Chinese are playing (with added violence and political menace) in the Pacific.
From Chosun Ilbo, “China and Russia to Hold Joint Naval Exercises”
The news article in English,
http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2010/12/21/2010122101002.html
Quoted from the article:
“China and Russia will hold their first joint naval exercise next year in the northern part of the East Sea, Hong Kong’s Phoenix TV reported Monday citing Russian media.”
Hmm, Russia AND China “in the Northern Part of the East Sea.. (동해의 북쪽에서.. -_-;;)
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