69 held fishermen to return

A two-point agreement has been reached between China and Russia to avoid further fishery disputes in the wake of recent incidents that have seen scores of Chinese fishermen detained by Russian authorities.

Russia will grant China certain fishing quotas in its exclusive economic zone in exchange for corresponding compensation, ministry spokesperson Hong Lei said in a press release Monday.

The two sides will also set up security cooperation mechanisms in relation to maritime law enforcement in order to prevent illegal trawling from reoccurring, according to Hong.

Details on how the quotas will be traded or the implementation of the law enforcement agreement were not disclosed in the release.

Xing Guangcheng, a Russian studies expert at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times that although details have yet to be revealed, the fact that the two sides are determined to handle such contingencies through cooperation in a timely manner is a good sign.

"Taking concrete measures to address concrete issues that have emerged during the development of the partnership between China and Russia shows the right attitude," said Xing.

The move came weeks after two Chinese fishing vessels were detained by Russian coastguards in mid-July, followed by the recent seizure of two boats. A total of 69 Chinese fishermen are being held by Russia.

Hong said Monday that the detained fishermen will return home soon, as the diplomatic departments of the two countries are closely cooperating to complete the relevant procedures.

A Chinese fishing ship was seized off Russia's far eastern Primorsky region on July 16 while trawling for squid, after a Russian patrol vessel fired off warning shots. None of the 17 crew members was harmed despite one reportedly going missing.

One day earlier, another Chinese ship with 19 fishermen was taken away by Russian patrolmen. The two ships were from Weihai, Shandong Province.

The incidents prompted Chinese vice foreign minister Cheng Guoping to express dissatisfaction over Russia's use of force, urging it to thoroughly investigate the incident and make sure they were safe and treated well.

Another two Chinese fishing vessels were detained on July 24 after entering Russia's exclusive economic region, the Chinese foreign ministry confirmed on July 27.

The Chinese Consulate-General in Khabarovsk issued a statement on its website on July 26, saying 33 people were detained in that incident and all were in good condition.

When the seizure first occurred, Hong expressed China's willingness to set up an early-warning and cooperation mechanism with Russia to prevent such reoccurrences to ensure the friendly relations between the two countries would not be affected.

"This episode will not impact the strategic partnership between the two nations, as it is being properly handled in a timely manner," Li Xing, a professor of Russian affairs at Beijing Normal University, told the Global Times.

He noted that the unexpected clash would only affect each other's image among their own nationals and put certain pressure on the government.

China has witnessed increasing numbers of fishing disputes with other countries in recent years.

A total of 29 Chinese fishermen were captured on May 8 by an unidentified North Korean ship as they were trawling in the Yellow Sea.

Such incidents should be attributed to the decreasing fishery resources resulting from pollution and overfishing, which have forced the fishermen to trawl afar, Wang Shicheng, former deputy chief of the Shandong Provincial Oceanic and Fishery Department, was quoted by the Chinese Business News as saying.

Li told the Global Times that the way China and Russia have dealt with this incident could serve as a reference for similar frictions between other countries if the proposed measures prove sufficient.

"The two points, working on both economic and legal foundations, will complement one another," Li remarked.