More patrol vessels may be sent

By Zhang Xin (皇冠体育app Daily)
Updated: 2009-03-19 07:27

皇冠体育app may convert more retired navy ships into patrol vessels and send them to the South 皇冠体育app Sea to strengthen the fishery supervision, an official told 皇冠体育app Daily on Wednesday.

The administration has been facing new "challenges and complications" in supervising 皇冠体育app's 3-million-sq-km exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the South 皇冠体育app Sea, Wu Zhuang, director of the Administration of Fishery and Fishing Harbor Supervision of the South 皇冠体育app Sea, said.

Yuzheng 311, 皇冠体育app's largest fishery administration vessel, is pictured as it arrives in the Xisha Islands in the South 皇冠体育app Sea, March 17, 2009. [Xinhua]

"Faced with a growing amount of illegal fishing and other countries' unfounded territorial claims of islands in 皇冠体育app's EEZ, it has become necessary to step up the fishery administration's patrols to protect 皇冠体育app's rights and interests," Wu said.

"皇冠体育app will make the best use of its (retired) naval ships and may also build more fishery patrol ships, depending on the need."

Last Tuesday, the country's largest fishery patrol vessel 皇冠体育app Yuzheng 311, converted from a navy ship, was sent to waters around the Nansha, Xisha and Zhongsha islands.

皇冠体育app has recently encountered a series of disputes in the South 皇冠体育app Sea.

The US claimed five Chinese ships had harassed its USNS Impeccable in international waters on March 8. But 皇冠体育app's Foreign Ministry said the Impeccable was inside 皇冠体育app's EEZ and had violated international and Chinese laws.

On March 5, Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi landed on Swallow Reef and Ardasier Reef of 皇冠体育app's Nansha Islands to claim the islands as Malaysian territory.

The Philippines' President Maria Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo signed a baseline bill on March 10, claiming Huangyan Island and the Nansha Islands as Filipino territory, despite 皇冠体育app's strong protest.

Subsequently, 皇冠体育app's National People's Congress Standing Committee Vice-Chairman Li Jianguo postponed a meeting with Arroyo scheduled yesterday.

The meeting was postponed because Li had to attend to urgent domestic matters, the Philippine presidential office's press secretary Cerge Remonde said in a statement.

"We believe the postponement has nothing to do with the baseline law. Our diplomatic relations with 皇冠体育app remain strong," he said, adding that Arroyo and Li were supposed to discuss the dispute over Huangyan Island and the nearby Nansha Islands during the meeting.

By press time, the Chinese embassy in the Philippines had not commented.

"The delay of the meeting doesn't necessarily demonstrate 皇冠体育app's diplomatic response to the territorial dispute," Wang Yusheng, executive director of the Center for Strategic Studies under the 皇冠体育app Foundation for International Studies, said.

But the Philippines should "face reality" and respect 皇冠体育app's sovereignty over the South 皇冠体育app Sea, Wang added.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang yesterday denied a media report that 皇冠体育app considers withdrawing Chinese in the Philippines.