The Chinese government recently hosted a delegation of nearly 30 fishery officials from Somalia as part of a training program covering aquaculture and fishery management techniques.
The training took place from 10 to 30 July at two sites in Shandong and Jiangsu provinces, which are both centers of Chinese aquaculture and seafood processing.
“This comprehensive training program underscores the shared goal of sustainable marine resource utilization for economic prosperity and food security in Somalia,” Somali state news agency Sonna said.
Lin Huifang, the deputy director general of the Foreign Economic Cooperation Center, which is a part of the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, echoed that sentiment, and said China is committed to assisting Somalia and the training program represents a significant step toward increased collaboration between the two nations in further developing Somalia’s fisheries sector.
The training also represents just the latest form of outreach between Somalia and China.
Somali fisheries officials attended a seminar hosted in 2023 by the Innovation Training Base of Global Development Promotion Center (GDPC) – a Chinese government entity aimed at training foreign officials.
Additionally, several Chinese distant-water fishing firms targeting tuna and other species have bases in Somalia.
An access deal was also signed by a consortium of Chinese fishing firms under the banner of the China Distant-Water Fisheries Association in 2018, but the still-active deal has proven controversial in the East African nation.
“The deal certainly impacts our local fishermen who depend on fishing for their livelihood,” said Mohamud Nur Hasan, a Somali parliamentarian who is part of the country’s sub-committee on fisheries and natural resources, according to nonprofit Dialogue Earth. “Chinese vessels have poured into African waters to get nice seafood for trade, degrading fish stocks.”
With a coastline of over 3,000 kilometers and generally weak regulatory oversight, Somalia has become a target for illegal, unreported, and fishing (IUU) operations.
China has denied claims its vessels are engaged in illegal fishing in Somali waters. In 2022, Fei Sheng Chao, China’s ambassador to Somalia, stressed in an online meeting that “Chinese fishing firms must abide by the laws and regulations, effective authorization, bilateral cooperation framework, and international law of China and Somalia in daily operations.”
Nevertheless, the most recent training also represents the latest link in a pattern of diplomatic engagement by China with officials from developing countries around the world that boast significant fishery resources. This pattern aims to both establish inroads and dispel IUU allegations.
Diplomats from several African and Latin American countries – including Angola, Ecuador, and Peru – were taken on a tour of Chinese fishing ports and processing plants in September 2023 after a report by NOAA identified China among several nations it alleges are engaged in IUU fishing or that have not done enough to limit the use of forced labor within their domestic fleets.
Liu Xian Zhong, deputy director of the Fisheries Governance Office at the Ministry of Agriculture, told foreign diplomats during the visit that some countries “don’t have enough knowledge of China’s distant-water fisheries sector and some misunderstand it.”
Liu said he hoped the diplomats would become “bridges” for fishery cooperation between China and third countries.
