1. The ninth Republic of Korea-China meeting on fisheries cooperation took place in Gwangju, south of Seoul, on July 5 in the presence of officials from the Foreign Ministries and other relevant government agencies of the two countries. In the meeting, the two sides discussed the current fisheries order and ways to improve it. In addition, they reviewed the progress in the implementation of tasks for bilateral fisheries cooperation.

2. In the meeting, the ROK side brought focused attention to the fact that despite the overall improvement in the fisheries order between the two countries in the Yellow Sea, illegal fishing operations by Chinese fishing vessels near the Northern Limit Line (NLL) in the Yellow Sea and near the estuary of the Han River have continued and even increased. The ROK side urged the Chinese authorities to draw up effective and tangible measures in that regard.

3. The Chinese delegation, expressing its firm resolve to crack down on illegal fishing operations by Chinese fishing vessels, noted that there being so many fishing vessels, the Chinese government has so much to do in terms of managing the vessels. The delegation, saying that the Chinese government will not evade its responsibility, explained the measures it has taken so far.

4. The ROK side stressed that the relevant Chinese measures should not be one-off but continued ones so that they can lead to the tangible result of the reduced number of Chinese vessels that are engaged in illegal fishing operations in the ROK waters. The ROK noted that in order to fundamentally block illegal fishing operations, it is necessary that not only the central but also provincial governments of China take necessary measures and that crackdowns be undertaken on the vessels at each of their phases of departure, entry, fishing operations, transport and distribution.

5. The ROK side demanded that as Chinese fishing vessels that operate in the North Korean waters in the Yellow Sea cross the NLL to fish in the ROK waters, the Chinese authorities take actions to control those vessels. The Chinese delegation said that it is aware of the Chinese vessels fishing in the North Korean waters in the Yellow Sea, adding that it will crack down on and seek to prevent such violations.

6. The Chinese side mentioned that it will bear in mind the ROK’s demands, voicing hope for close communication with the ROK with regard to crackdowns.

7. The ROK side brought attention to violent resistance, collective violations of the ROK waters, and emergency dockings in the East Sea by Chinese fishing vessels. In order for the two countries to manage their crises and prevent conflict, the ROK asked the Chinese government to give prior guidance and beef up crackdowns on their fishermen.

8. The two sides brought renewed attention to the ROK-China agreement on joint measures to prevent IUU (Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated) fishing, which had been adopted at the 15th meeting of the ROK-China joint committee on fisheries in October 2015. The ROK side asked the Chinese government to thoroughly implement the measures in the agreement, including joint patrols by fisheries guidance vessels of the two countries, in order to improve the fisheries order in the Yellow Sea.

9. The Chinese side asked the ROK government to take caution in its crackdowns on Chinese fishermen so as to prevent casualties. The ROK side responded that the ROK government undertakes crackdowns strictly in accordance with the relevant law, stressing the need for the Chinese government to take substantive measures to block illegal fishing operations in efforts to fundamentally resolve the issue.

10. The two countries noted with appreciation that the relevant authorities of the two countries continue to step up their cooperation, as demonstrated by the conclusion of a memorandum of understanding in December 2015 and the first regular meeting between the Korea Coast Guard and the China Coast Guard in June 2016. They agreed to continue efforts to upgrade the level of exchanges and cooperation between fisheries-related government agencies of the two countries.

11. The Chinese delegation extended appreciation to the ROK government for rendering assistance to Chinese ships and fishermen in emergency situations in the ROK waters.

12. The two sides noted with appreciation that the meeting, which is organized by the ROK and Chinese Foreign Ministries and attended by officials of government agencies handling fisheries policies and crackdowns, along with the ROK-China joint committee on fisheries and other relevant bilateral consultative mechanisms, is an important channel for communication and consultation on ways to improve the fisheries order. They agreed to fully use the meeting mechanism.

13. The two sides agreed to hold the tenth ROK-China meeting on fisheries cooperation in China at an appropriate time in the second half of the year 2016.

14. The two delegations visited the Korea Coast Guard headquarters in Mokpo, which has jurisdiction over the Yellow Sea, and were briefed by the headquarters on the current fisheries order in the Yellow Sea.

15. The ROK delegation to the meeting was led by Deputy Director-General for Northeast Asian Affairs Bae Jong-in of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and comprised of officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, the Ministry of Public Safety and Security, the Korea Coast Guard, the Embassy in China and the Consulates-General in Qingdao and Shanghai. The Chinese delegation was headed by Deputy Director-General of the Department of Consular Affairs Chen Xiongfeng of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and composed of officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Agriculture, the China Coast Guard, the Ministry of Public Security, the governments of Shandong and Liaoning provinces, the Embassy in the ROK and the Consulates-General in Gwangju, Busan and Jeju.


* unofficial translation