The meeting emphasized the importance of focusing on developing modernized distant-water fishing

China Vows 'High-Quality Development' for Distant-Water Fisheries, Citing Xi Jinping Mandate

CHINA
Monday, October 13, 2025, 00:10 (GMT + 9)

Symposium in Beijing calls for modernizing fishing fleets, enhancing global governance compliance, and prioritizing sustainability ahead of the 15th Five-Year Plan.

BEIJING - On October 10, a high-level symposium was convened in Beijing to chart the course for the "high-quality development" of China's distant-water fisheries (DWF), the world's largest industrial fishing fleet. The meeting centered on implementing a key directive from General Secretary Xi Jinping regarding the promotion of the marine economy and was overseen by Vice Minister of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Zhang Zhili.

The symposium served as a comprehensive review of the current state and challenges facing China's vast DWF sector, with a focus on developing a modern, sustainable, and internationally compliant industry.

Key Policy Directives and Goals

The meeting's emphasis was on a systematic and long-term approach, particularly in preparation for the upcoming 15th Five-Year Plan period (expected to begin in 2026). Key areas of focus for the industry transformation include:

• Strategic Planning and Scale Control: The Ministry stressed the need to strategically plan the sector's high-quality development, continuously optimizing its layout, structure, and scale. This includes exploring the establishment of an industrial system that is appropriately matched to regional carrying capacity.

• Strengthened Management and Safety: A core requirement is reinforcing the main responsibilities of DWF enterprises. This involves improving internal management, enhancing safety production capabilities, and boosting the overall quality of employees to ensure strict compliance with fishing vessel regulations.

• Global Ocean Governance: The symposium emphasized deepening participation in global ocean governance and continuously improving compliance with international conventions. Officials called for engaging in mutually beneficial, win-win cooperation through multiple channels and at multiple levels, explicitly "demonstrating the responsibility of a major fishing nation."

• Scientific Research: Focus will be placed on strengthening global marine scientific research and investigation. This includes intensifying fishery resource surveys and promoting the coordinated application of research results to foster sustainable resource utilization. 

Modernization Aligns with National Strategy

The push for "high-quality development" in the DWF sector mirrors broader directives set by the central government to modernize China's economy and enforce stricter environmental and regulatory standards, both at home and abroad. Historically, the expansion of the DWF fleet—estimated at over 2,700 vessels—has been driven by the depletion of domestic fish stocks and the need for new protein sources.

The government's current strategy, however, aims to cap the fleet size while improving the overall quality, safety, and regulatory compliance of its operations, moving beyond simple expansion.

Responsible persons from major organizations in the fisheries sector participated in the discussion, including the Fisheries Administration Bureau and Fishery Security Center of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, the China Offshore Fisheries Association, Shanghai Ocean University, and both the Yellow Sea Fisheries Research Institute and East China Sea Fisheries Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences.

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