'The representatives of artisanal fishing repudiate the presence of the Chinese president, Xi Jinping,...'
Peru's artisanal fisheries declare Xi Jinping persona non grata and ask for intervention from President Dina Boluarte
PERU
Saturday, August 31, 2024, 08:00 (GMT + 9)
National strike of artisanal fishing is proposed
- Following the announcement of the arrival in Peru of the president of China, Xi Jinping, in the framework of the next summit, between November 10 and 16, of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum (APEC), the artisanal fishermen of Peru ask that he refrain from materializing his visit to the country because they consider that China is largely responsible for the collapse of the giant squid fishery during 2024, a fact that has left thousands of artisanal fishermen unemployed.
- The entry of Chinese ships to Peruvian ports during 2023 and 2024, violating the regulations for monitoring, control and surveillance of the country, has made it easier for the Peruvian authorities to turn a blind eye to illegal fishing.
- This fact has led fishermen to consider declaring the Chinese president as "persona non grata", as well as the announcement of protests and a national strike, starting next September, if immediate corrective measures are not taken to reestablish the protection of the Peruvian sea.
Paita, one of the most important ports for artisanal fishing in Peru, has been the scene of growing tensions between local fishermen and foreign vessels of Chinese nationality.
In this regard, she said that this omission has been systematically allowed by the Peruvian authorities themselves since 2023 and has led to the irregular entry of more than 300 Chinese vessels into Peru.
“This not only violates the provisions of Supreme Decree No. 016-2020-PRODUCE, but also prevents Peru from guaranteeing that it is not providing logistical facilities to ships with a history of illegal fishing within the Peruvian sea,” declared the fishing entrepreneur.
It should be remembered that on July 28, the Minister of Production, Sergio González Guerrero, announced that he would publish a supreme decree in the first half of August with the aim of putting an end to this problem.
To this end, he indicated that he would put legal locks in place to prevent officials in his own portfolio from allowing the entry into Peru of vessels that do not wish to comply with the national standard for monitoring fishing vessels.
The head of SONAPESCAL said that two weeks have passed since the expiration of the deadline established by the minister himself and said decree has not been published, nor have the explanations of the case been given.
In this regard, Elsa Vega expressed that the discontent is deep and widespread in the area of artisanal fishing in our country.
She pointed out that while the national fleet has been paralyzed for months, thousands of artisanal fishermen watch helplessly as Chinese ships enter our ports to receive a series of services.
“It is unacceptable that they do not comply with something so basic that today is already rigidly demanded of artisanal fishermen. For the good of social peace, we ask the President of the Republic, Dina Boluarte, to receive us as soon as possible, to explain our situation and to order the immediate publication of the Decree whose publication is boycotted by some bureaucrats,” she said.
According to the leaders, there are boats in Paita, Bayóvar, Chimbote and Callao - credit Albricias TV
Vega also commented that the discontent among artisanal fishermen is growing and that she is concerned that this tension will lead to serious social conflicts.
“The representatives of artisanal fishing repudiate the presence of the Chinese president, Xi Jinping, because we consider that it will be a provocation and an insult to Peruvian artisanal fishing,” she said.
Source: SONAPESCAL
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