Vietnam and China are models of fishery cooperation

Recently, in Chuc Son village, Dongxing city, Guangxi province (China), Vietnam's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) coordinated with China's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (MARA) to organize stocking to regenerate aquatic resources in the Gulf of Tonkin for the 7^th time. This is a practical activity with important significance to restore and raise awareness of protecting aquatic resources, contributing to increasing income for fishermen. Thereby helping to sustainably develop fisheries economics and protect the marine environment in Vietnam and China.

After a large-scale and professionally organized ceremony at Friendship Square (Beihai city, Guangxi province), representatives of the two sides jointly released 7 aquatic varieties with an amount of 128 million breeds in the sea area of Dongxing city. This stocking set a record for the number of breeds in stockings to regenerate aquatic resources in the Gulf of Tonkin region.

Mr. Tran Dinh Luan, Director of the Department of Fisheries (MARD of Vietnam), said that this is a continuation activity in implementing the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on stocking cooperation to regenerate and protect aquatic resources in the Gulf of Tonkin between the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of the People's Republic of China, which was signed under the witness of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and General Secretary - President Xi Jinping. On the basis of implementing joint stocking activities to regenerate aquatic resources, the two countries have been widely implementing this activity throughout each country's waterbodies.

In Vietnam, stocking to regenerate aquatic resources has become a regular activity, always receiving attention, participation, support, and positive responses from all levels of government, from central to local levels, organizations, and individuals.

Thereby, social funding has been gradually mobilized to promote the work of stocking to regenerate aquatic resources, creating high consensus in society and contributing to spreading the message of strengthening protection and regeneration of aquatic resources, contributing to the sustainable development of the fisheries industry.

“We realize that ensuring the sustainable development of each country's fisheries industry in the Gulf of Tonkin is not only the responsibility of the State and fishermen of each country but also requires the coordination of the two countries, Vietnam and China. In the spirit of high consensus on guidelines, policies, and the new international treaty, the functional agency of each country will continue to research and apply solutions to protect aquatic resources in the Gulf of Tonkin in accordance with the socio-economic conditions and practical situation of fishery management in each country," said Mr. Tran Dinh Luan.

Currently, Vietnam is one of the countries with effective maritime cooperation with countries in the region, especially China, and one of the important achievements in maritime and fisheries cooperation between the two countries is the effective implementation of the "Vietnam-China Agreement on Fishery Cooperation in the Gulf of Tonkin," valid from June 30, 2004.

The framework of the Agreement establishing a complete fishery management and coordination mechanism has promoted positive effects in handling issues related to fisheries between Vietnam and China, creating happiness for fishermen along the coast of the Gulf of Tonkin, and maintaining good diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Mr. Tran Dinh Luan assessed that, since this Agreement took effect and was implemented, it has contributed to maintaining long-term stable order in the Gulf of Tonkin, in accordance with the mutual benefit and long-term benefit of the two countries' fishermen. Both sides simultaneously appreciated and affirmed the efforts of relevant agencies during the implementation period.

"Currently, the negotiation to sign a new international treaty to replace the Agreement has been implemented by relevant agencies of the two countries. I believe that in the coming time, based on the achievements of 15 years of implementing the Agreement and the context in which friendly relations between the two countries are increasingly consolidated and expanded in a stricter and more trustworthy direction, the new international treaty on fishery cooperation in the Gulf of Tonkin between the two countries will soon be signed. This will also be an important mechanism for the two sides to continue promoting the contents of fisheries cooperation between the two countries, contributing to promoting the Vietnam-China strategic cooperative partnership," Mr. Luan expressed.

On the Chinese side, Mr. Liu Tan Trung, Director of the Fisheries Administration Department (MARA of China), said that the deployment of stocking to regenerate aquatic resources in the Gulf of Tonkin area is an important measure not only to protect aquatic biological resources and maintain marine ecology, but it is also the most effective way to promote sustainable development of the fishery and increase income for fishermen. This is consistent with the mutual benefit and expectations of the two countries' people.

In 2017, the two countries signed an MoU to implement cooperation in stocking and protecting aquatic resources in the Gulf of Tonkin between China's MARA and Vietnam's MARD. After that, the two sides actively implemented the MoU's content and soon coordinated to deploy stocking activities to regenerate aquatic resources in the Gulf of Tonkin.

Through stockings, the output of aquatic species has increased sharply; the resource recovery effect is obvious, bringing practical benefits to fishermen along the Gulf of Tonkin, highly appreciated by the two countries. The achievements have been included in the Vietnam-China press release and joint statement, becoming a model of fishery cooperation between countries surrounding the East Sea.

"China and Vietnam are good neighbors, good friends, good comrades, and good partners. China-Vietnam fishery cooperation has a long history, a deep foundation, a strong and effective friendship, and can be said to be a model in the relations between China and neighboring countries," Mr. Liu Tan Trung shared.

On the basis of a comprehensive strategic partnership and cooperation between Vietnam and China, ensuring the sustainable development of the fisheries industry in the Gulf of Tonkin area is not only the responsibility of the State and fishermen of each country but also requires close coordination from both neighboring countries, Vietnam and China.

Through the stocking ceremony, Vietnam and China continue to have specific, positive, and effective cooperation in the fisheries sector and commit to continue coordinating to deploy stocking activities to regenerate aquatic resources in the Gulf of Tonkin in the coming years.

"Seven years ago, the two countries successfully organized the first China-Vietnam stocking activity to regenerate aquatic resources here. In 2022, Dongxing city was approved as a long-term place to organize the China-Vietnam stocking activity to regenerate aquatic resources, which fully demonstrated the firm determination of China and Vietnam to jointly preserve aquatic resources in the Gulf of Tonkin and build a marine ecological civilization.

We will take this event as an opportunity to thoroughly implement the important common awareness that senior leaders of China and Vietnam have reached and will continue to strengthen fishery exchanges and cooperation between the two countries," a representative of the Guangxi Autonomous Region government shared.