Vietnam takes an interest in a U.S. strategy to cooperate with Vietnam and several other countries and territories to combat illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Thursday.

Ministry spokesperson Le Thi Thu Hang made the statement in response to questions regarding Vietnam’s viewpoints on the U.S.’s plan to end IUU fishing.

“We are interested in information [regarding the plan],” Hang said, adding that Vietnam has also made efforts to eliminate IUU fishing activities.

She affirmed that Vietnam’s stance on anti-IUU fishing is consistent and has been stated clearly over the years.

“Vietnam’s policy is to develop its marine economy sustainably and exploit aquatic resources in full compliance with regulations on anti-IUU fishing and relevant international conventions and agreements to which Vietnam has been a signatory or member,” the spokeswoman said.

The Southeast Asian nation has adopted and perfected its legislation, along with taking effective measures, to minimize IUU fishing and terminate such practices by Vietnamese vessels and fishermen in foreign waters.

On Monday last week, the White House announced that it would prioritize cooperation with Vietnam, Ecuador, Panama, Senegal, and Taiwan to prevent IUU fishing, strengthen maritime security, and promote sustainable ocean protection.

“We’ll be doing capacity building in those countries, not because they are the primary offenders of IUU fishing, but because they have expressed a willingness to work with the United States to combat IUU fishing in their countries,” a U.S. senior administration officer said in a press briefing the same day.

The U.S. Interagency Working Group on IUU Fishing will release its national five-year strategy for 2022-26 for combating IUU fishing by the end of July, the White House said in a statement.

“The strategy prioritizes the working group’s efforts to combat IUU fishing, curtail the global trade of IUU fish and fish products, and promote global maritime security, while working in partnership with other governments and authorities, the seafood industry, academia, and non-governmental stakeholders,” the White House said.

According to some international observers, the U.S. anti-IUU fishing strategy is part of its efforts to target China, which has the world’s leading fishing fleet and often triggers concerns when it appears in certain areas.

In the aforementioned statement, the White House did not mention China or release any information saying that the strategy is aimed at this country.

However, some American officials later referred to China as a country leading in actions detrimental to the marine environment and anti-IUU fishing efforts.

The Chinese Embassy in Washington has voiced opposition to this new move by the U.S., claiming that there is a political motive behind the said strategy.

It has also deemed Washington's allegations against China as untrue.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!