1. The eleventh Republic of Korea-People’s Republic of China meeting on fisheries cooperation took place in Gangneung on November 27, bringing together (deputy director-general-level) officials of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and fisheries-related government agencies of the two countries.

° In the meeting, the two countries reviewed the fisheries order in the Yellow Sea in 2018 and took note of the progress in the efforts to improve the situation regarding illegal fishing operations by Chinese fishing vessels. They also discussed measures needed for the elimination of illegal fishing operations by Chinese fishing vessels; ways to implement the fisheries-related measures agreed upon by the two countries; and future-oriented cooperation projects.

2. In the meeting, the ROK side noted with appreciation that the fisheries order in the Yellow Sea had been improved since 2017 and on, as could be seen from a considerable decrease in the number of Chinese vessels involved in and seized for illegal fishing operations, and in the cases of violent resistance to crackdowns and collective violations. The ROK delegation suggested that the ROK and China work more closely together to end illegal fishing operations by Chinese vessels.

° The ROK side took note of the resumption of joint patrols by fisheries guidance vessels of the two countries from November 20 till 26 after their suspension since September 2016; and suggested stepping up cooperation between the two countries’ fisheries authorities in cracking down on illegal fishing operations, including sharing relevant information and data.

° The ROK side pointed out that illegal actions by Chinese vessels, such as fabricating fishing records and violating regulations regarding net knots, had yet to be eradicated, asking the Chinese government to strengthen crackdowns on such actions. Despite the recent improvements in the inter-Korean relations, the waters near the Northern Limit Line (NLL) in the Yellow Sea still remain as a sensitive area where contingencies could occur. In that light, the ROK side asked the Chinese government to take stronger steps to crack down on illegal fishing operations by Chinese vessels in these waters.

° In addition, the ROK side, bringing attention to illegal fishing operations by Chinese fishing boats on their way north via the East Sea as well as the need to comply with procedures during their 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 delegation took note of the improving fisheries order in the Yellow Sea, including no cases of casualties having resulted in connection with illegal fishing by Chinese vessels and the remarkable decrease in the number of seized Chinese fishing boats since 2017. The Chinese delegation went on to share with the ROK side the tough measures central and provincial governments of China were taking to curb illegal fishing operations by Chinese boats: Among those measures were bolstered maritime patrols by guidance vessels; monitoring Chinese fishing boats with a vessel position tracking system; and gravely punishing fishermen that commit serious offenses.

° The Chinese delegation once again asked the ROK government to crack down on Chinese fishermen in accordance with relevant regulations and procedures.

4. The two sides, calling fisheries an area where the two countries could work more closely together, agreed to further increase the currently growing cooperation in the field of maritime rescue, and to continue conducting such future-oriented cooperation projects as the joint release of young fish and the ROK’s invitation program for Chinese officials in charge of fisheries policies.

5. The two sides appreciated the meeting on fisheries cooperation, which is hosted by the Foreign Ministries of the two countries, along with the joint committee on fisheries and other bilateral consultative mechanisms in the field, as an important communication channel for discussions on ways to improve the fisheries order; and agreed to fully use this meeting mechanism.

° The two sides agreed to hold the 12^th meeting on fisheries cooperation in China at an appropriate time in the first half of the year 2019.

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