Since the late 2010s, China has shown increasing sensitivity to the environmental and socio-economic impacts of its distant-water fishing (DWF) growth, as well as the reputational harm partly inflicted by international environmental advocacy.
DWF describes countries that fish outside their own territories and extend their range of activity to the other countries’ economic exclusive zones or the high seas.
Was China’s exponential DWF growth necessarily a direct result of Beijing’s grand strategy to develop what’s known as a “blue economy” and become a maritime power? And what are the main challenges China faces if it’s going to rein in this growth?
