Extending support to Ecuador, US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo has slammed China for incessantly violating the sovereign rights and jurisdiction of coastal states.
“It is time for China to stop its unsustainable fishing practices, rule-breaking, and willful environmental degradation of the oceans. We stand with Ecuador and call on Beijing to stop engaging in illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing,” Pompeo said in a Twitter post.
Pompeo’s recent remarks came after Western media reported on 260 China-flagged vessels fishing nearing Ecuador’s Galapagos marine reserve, which was seen as causing environmental degradation
In a separate statement, the US Department of State said: “The People’s Republic of China subsidizes the world’s largest commercial fishing fleet, which routinely violates the sovereign rights and jurisdiction of coastal states, fishes without permission, and overfishes licensing agreements.”
“The Ecuadorian government has done just that in raising the alarm about the hundreds of PRC-flagged vessels fishing near Ecuador’s important Galapagos marine reserve and harvesting endangered sharks for their fins, along with many other protected species,” it added.
Urging the international community to stand together against China, Pompeo said, “Given this unfortunate record of illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing, rule-breaking, and willful environmental degradation, it is more important than ever that the international community stands together for the rule of law and insists on better environmental stewardship from Beijing.”
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