China's distant water fisheries and its response to flag state responsibilities

The paper discusses China's policy adjustment responding to flag state responsibilities of the Fish Stocks Agreement and the Compliance Agreement. China's incorporation and application of the management measures of the two instruments into its domestic legislations regarding distant water fishing vessels is examined to illustrate China's compliance as a flag state. It will be shown that China has taken concrete steps to bring its management practice in line with the requirements of international fisheries instruments and has endeavoured to respond to the two instruments positively. However, China needs to set priorities to improve its overall management capacity so as to make it ready to ratify the two instruments and to live up to their terms.