High-Quality Development of China’s DWF Sector

DWF is an important part of China’s fishing industry. Based on win-win cooperation, security, stability, green and sustainable development, China has expanded international exchanges, conducted mutually beneficial cooperation through multiple channels and in multiple forms, kept to the path of high-quality development of the industry, and contributed to the development of the global DWF industry and the supply of aquatic products.

1. Steady development of international aquatic production and trade

Aquatic products are globally recognized as healthy foods and play a key role in global food and nutrition security. Sustainable aquaculture development and effective fisheries management are essential to ensuring the supply of aquatic products in the international market.

In recent years, international trade in aquatic products has grown significantly. According to statistics from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), in 2020, the European Union (EU) was the largest single importing market, accounting for 16 percent of the global value of aquatic imports (excluding intra-EU trade), and the United States (US) was the largest importing country, accounting for 15 percent of the global value of aquatic imports. The top three exporting countries were China, Norway and Vietnam, with their exports accounting for 25 percent of the global total export value. According to statistics from the General Administration of Customs of China, China exported almost 3.75 million tonnes of aquatic products in 2020, and the worth of its exported aquatic products accounted for 12 percent of the global total. The main destinations included countries and regions such as the EU, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Japan, and the US. As the world’s largest exporter of aquatic products, China has made a significant contribution to the global supply and consumption of aquatic products.

According to The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2022 released by the FAO, global fisheries and aquaculture production reached an all-time record of 214 million tonnes in 2020. Within this figure, aquaculture production was 122.6 million tonnes, accounting for 57 percent. China is the world’s largest source of aquatic products, with a total output of 65.5 million tonnes in 2020. Its aquaculture production – which reached 52.2 million tonnes in the year, or about 80 percent of its total aquatic products – also led the world, accounting for about 40 percent of the global total. The development of China’s fisheries and aquaculture industry has made an important contribution to meeting its own and the world’s demand for aquatic products, reducing the use and dependence on natural marine fisheries resources, and promoting the scientific conservation and sustainable use of global fisheries resources.

2. China’s contribution to the world’s DWF development

The world’s DWF has a long history, with detailed fisheries statistics dating back to the 1950s. Different countries and regions played a greater or lesser role in different historical periods. These countries and regions, along with other coastal countries, have played a positive role in developing and utilizing global marine fisheries resources, promoting the supply of marine foods and nutrition, and ensuring the livelihoods and development of coastal communities.

China’s DWF sector began in 1985. Although it started relatively late, after more than 30 years of hard work, China has made significant progress. For many years, it has signed reciprocal cooperation agreements with relevant countries and regions in Asia, Africa, South America, and Oceania. In accordance with these agreements and the laws and regulations of the relevant countries, China has established orderly fisheries cooperation with more than 40 countries and regions.

In accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and other international laws, China has joined the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas, the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission, the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission, the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources, the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission, the South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organisation, the North Pacific Fisheries Commission, the Southern Indian Ocean Fisheries Agreement and other organizations, and approved the International Agreement to Prevent Unregulated Fishing in the High Seas of the Central Arctic Ocean. China attaches great importance to honoring the international DWF agreements. It actively fulfills the obligations of member states under multilateral fisheries treaties and regional fisheries management organizations (RFMOs), and carries out the due diligence obligations of flag states for high seas fisheries that are not yet managed by RFMOs. It actively promotes the establishment of relevant RFMOs, continuously strengthens the regulation of the DWF sector, and champions the scientific conservation and sustainable utilization of global fisheries resources.

In 2022, China had 177 approved DWF enterprises and 2,551 DWF vessels (including 1,498 high seas fishing vessels) operating in the high seas of the Pacific, Indian and Atlantic oceans, and the seas around Antarctica, as well as in the waters under the jurisdiction of cooperating countries. The total catch for the year was around 2.33 million tonnes.

3. Achieving better development of China’s DWF sector

As a developing country, China still lags somewhat behind developed countries in terms of fishing vessels and equipment, detection of fisheries resources, and the contribution of science and technology to industrial development. To adapt to and fulfill the new requirements of international fisheries governance, and based on its own development needs, China has released successive policy documents for DWF development, such as the National Plan for Fisheries Development in the 14th Five-Year Plan Period, the Guidelines on Promoting the High-Quality Development of Distant-Water Fishery in the 14th Five-Year Plan Period, the Action Plan for the “Regulation Improvement Year” of Distant-Water Fishery, and the Three-Year Action Plan for the Personnel Training of Distant-Water Fishery.

In the 14th Five-year Plan period (2021-2025) and beyond, China will make sustained efforts to promote the concentration and development of the entire DWF industrial chain, consolidate the foundations, increase the comprehensive governance capacity, and provide effective support. By optimizing the industrial structure, strengthening scientific and technological foundations, increasing regulatory capabilities, participating extensively in international fisheries governance, and improving the policy system, China aims to achieve high-quality development of its DWF sector. By 2025, China’s total DWF output and the size of its DWF fleet will be stable, the overall quality and production efficiency of the industry will be much higher, the number of violations and accidents will be much lower, regional and industrial configuration will be further optimized, supervision and administration will be more effective, and a significant effort will be directed towards the implementation of international agreements.

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