The Chinese Foreign Affairs Ministry Wednesday refuted a recent accusation saying that Chinese companies were illegally fishing off the coast of West Africa and said the activities were in fact permitted by both China and West African countries.
"It is learned that relevant fishing vessels are operating in the waters off West Africa with the approval of the Chinese government and the countries where they go fishing," Hong Lei, the spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Wednesday at a daily press briefing.
Environmental campaign group Greenpeace said in a study Wednesday that Chinese companies, while fishing off the coast of West Africa, were at times sending incorrect location data, suggesting they were as far away as Mexico.
It said it found 114 cases of illegal fishing by such vessels in over a period of eight years in the waters off Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mauritania, Senegal and Sierra Leone.
The boats were mainly operating without licenses or in prohibited areas.
"The tonnage registered on their certificates has been recognized by the relevant countries. They also have the fishing licenses issued by the governments of the relevant countries," Hong said.
"Over the years, relevant companies have taken an active part in the economic and social development of the countries where they stay and contributed to the increase of tax revenues, jobs and incomes there," Hong said at the conference.
The Chinese government always asks Chinese companies "going global" to do business in strict accordance with the law, fulfill their social obligations, especially when they conduct economic cooperation and trade with African countries, he added.
The advocacy group said that 60 out of 114 cases involved vessels of the China National Fisheries Corporation (CNFC), a state-owned company charged with developing fishing in distant seas.
CNFC did not respond to the accusation on Wednesday.
