1. The tenth Republic of Korea-China meeting on fisheries cooperation took place in Xiamen, China, on April 24, bringing together officials of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and fisheries-related government agencies of the two countries. In the meeting, the two sides reviewed the current fisheries order in the Yellow Sea and discussed ways to improve the situation regarding illegal fishing operations by Chinese fishing vessels.  In addition, they reviewed the progress in the implementation of fisheries-related measures agreed upon by the two countries, including those under the bilateral agreement on joint measures to prevent IUU (illegal, unreported, and unregulated) fishing.

※ The ROK-China meeting on fisheries cooperation, a consultative mechanism participated by the Foreign Ministries and fisheries-related government agencies of the two countries, takes place every two years, with its inaugural round held in 2012.

2. In the meeting, the two sides noted with appreciation that the efforts of the two governments had led to an overall improvement in the fisheries order in the Yellow Sea in the first half of the year 2017 and on; and in particular, a decrease in the number of Chinese fishing vessels that commit such serious offenses as violation of territorial waters and fishing without a license and in illegal fishing operations by Chinese fishing boats near the Northern Limit Line (NLL) in the Yellow Sea.

° The ROK brought attention to the fact that despite these positive changes, unlicensed Chinese fishing boats still engage in violation of territorial waters and illegal fishing operations in groups at nighttime or in bad weather conditions and violently resist the ROK’s crackdowns, urging the Chinese government to draw up and take stronger and more effective measures to put an end to this.

° In addition, the ROK side, raising the issue of Chinese fishing boats’ safety during their trips and emergency evacuations in the East Sea, asked the Chinese government to cooperate in blocking Chinese fishing vessels from operating in the North Korean waters in the East Sea.

3. The Chinese side explained that in a bid to improve the fisheries order in the Yellow Sea, the Chinese government has coast guard vessels deployed in sensitive waters at all times; is cracking down mainly on illegal fishing vessels and taking other measures to keep a closer watch on illegal fishing operations by Chinese fishing vessels; and is conducting a broad range of educational and guidance activities toward Chinese fishermen.

° In addition, the Chinese side asked the relevant ROK authorities to take caution during crackdowns on Chinese fishermen so as to prevent casualties; and to crack down on Chinese fishermen in accordance with relevant regulations and procedures.

° The Chinese side extended appreciation to the ROK government for rescuing Chinese vessels and crewmen who had been stranded or in other emergency situations in the ROK’s waters.

4. The ROK side, bringing renewed attention to the “ROK-China agreement on joint measures to prevent IUU fishing” adopted at the 15th meeting of the joint committee on fisheries in October 2015, asked the Chinese government to thoroughly implement the measures in the agreement, including joint patrols by fisheries guidance vessels of the two countries; the development of and cooperation on the e-fisheries licensing system; and the operation of a joint response system.

5. The two sides noted with appreciation that the meeting, which is organized by the ROK and Chinese Foreign Ministries, 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.

° The two sides agreed to hold the eleventh bilateral meeting on fisheries cooperation in the ROK at an appropriate time in the second half of 2018.

6. The ROK delegation to the meeting was led by Deputy Director-General for Northeast Asian Affairs Lim Si-heung of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and comprised of officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, 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 Ministry of Foreign Affairs and composed of officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Agriculture, the China Coast Guard, and the governments of Liaoning and Fujian provinces.

* unofficial translation