THE NEW NEARSHORE SUPREMACY: CHINA'S GROWING REACH INTO LOCAL WATERS

China is not only the Superpower of Seafood across the high seas and on land. It’s also, in a more hidden way, exerting unprecedented control over near-shore waters, especially those of global south countries.

In recent years, from South America to Africa to the far Pacific, China has been buying its way into restricted national fishing grounds, primarily using a process known as “flagging in.” This method typically involves the use of business partnerships to register foreign ships under the flag of another country, thereby allowing those vessels to fish in that country’s territorial waters.

The Chinese fleet has long targeted other countries’ waters. Typically that meant parking in international waters along sea borders, then running incursions across the line into domestic waters. But China has more recently taken a “softer” approach, gaining control from the inside by paying to flag in their ships so they can fish in domestic waters. Subtler than simply entering foreign coastal areas to fish illegally, the tactic – which is often legal – is less likely to result in political clashes, bad press, or sunken vessels.

Director and Editor: Ben Blankenship
Executive Producer: Ian Urbina
Written by: Ian Urbina, Pete Pete McKenzie, Milko Schvartzmann and Ben Blankenship