Foreign Media Claims Chinese Fishing Vessels Gathering in Formations in East China Sea; Chinese State Media Denounces as Malicious Hype
Foreign media speculated that thousands of Chinese fishing vessels gathering in the East China Sea was a military drill against Taiwan. China's Global Times refuted this, stating it was merely normal fishing activity during the peak season.
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- 📰 Published: April 18, 2026 at 18:58
- 🔍 Collected: April 18, 2026 at 19:31 (32 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 18, 2026 at 21:29 (1h 57m after Collected)
Central News Agency
(Central News Agency reporter Liao Wen-chi, Taipei, 18th) Recently, multiple foreign media outlets revealed that thousands of Chinese fishing vessels have repeatedly gathered in the East China Sea and formed specific formations, suspected to be part of a drill for an armed invasion of Taiwan. On the 17th, Chinese state media Global Times refuted this as malicious hype.
Foreign media such as AFP, the New York Times, and Kyodo News have all recently reported that large-scale, formation-style gatherings of Chinese fishing vessels occurred in the East China Sea on December 25 last year and in early January this year. They cited military experts questioning whether this was part of Beijing's exercises for a regional conflict, such as an armed invasion of Taiwan.
In response, the Global Times reported on the 17th that every year from September to the end of April the following year is the golden period for fishing in the East China Sea. Many fishermen from Zhoushan, Zhejiang, set out during this season to fish in the East China Sea waters.
The report quoted Chen Yanping, a fisherman from Zhoushan, Zhejiang, saying that the foreign media's claim of military operations is "pure nonsense." "If a large number of fishing boats gather in the same sea area during a certain time period, it is mainly because there are different fishing seasons in different seasons. Once fishing boats discover a school of fish gathering in a certain sea area, they will swarm there."
The report also quoted Wang Jintao, an expert in squid resource assessment for the Pacific Fisheries Commission and an associate professor at the College of Marine Sciences at Shanghai Ocean University, who pointed out that the area marked by foreign media as a gathering zone for fishing vessels is one of the core areas with the most abundant fishery resources in the East China Sea, and it is also a traditional operating area for Chinese fishermen.
According to China's summer fishing moratorium system, the closed season for the East China Sea is from May 1 to mid-September each year, while the open season is from September 16 to April 30 the following year. The East China Sea officially enters the golden season for fishing, which highly coincides with the active period of fishing vessels and the fishing season in the East China Sea mentioned by foreign media.
Regarding foreign media claims that fishing boats gather in formations, Chen Yanping said, "It is actually impossible for fishing boats to dock side-by-side regularly at sea, or even form a long line." Fishing boats need to maintain a sufficiently long distance to avoid their fishing nets getting tangled together, usually spaced about 10 to 20 nautical miles apart.
The report quoted Yang Xiao, a researcher at the Institute of Peaceful Development of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, criticizing that foreign media intend to smear China by repeatedly hyping various fishery phenomena to create topics such as illegal fishing, cross-border fishing, or even military operations. (Editor: Yang Sheng-ju) 1150418
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(Central News Agency reporter Liao Wen-chi, Taipei, 18th) Recently, multiple foreign media outlets revealed that thousands of Chinese fishing vessels have repeatedly gathered in the East China Sea and formed specific formations, suspected to be part of a drill for an armed invasion of Taiwan. On the 17th, Chinese state media Global Times refuted this as malicious hype.
Foreign media such as AFP, the New York Times, and Kyodo News have all recently reported that large-scale, formation-style gatherings of Chinese fishing vessels occurred in the East China Sea on December 25 last year and in early January this year. They cited military experts questioning whether this was part of Beijing's exercises for a regional conflict, such as an armed invasion of Taiwan.
In response, the Global Times reported on the 17th that every year from September to the end of April the following year is the golden period for fishing in the East China Sea. Many fishermen from Zhoushan, Zhejiang, set out during this season to fish in the East China Sea waters.
The report quoted Chen Yanping, a fisherman from Zhoushan, Zhejiang, saying that the foreign media's claim of military operations is "pure nonsense." "If a large number of fishing boats gather in the same sea area during a certain time period, it is mainly because there are different fishing seasons in different seasons. Once fishing boats discover a school of fish gathering in a certain sea area, they will swarm there."
The report also quoted Wang Jintao, an expert in squid resource assessment for the Pacific Fisheries Commission and an associate professor at the College of Marine Sciences at Shanghai Ocean University, who pointed out that the area marked by foreign media as a gathering zone for fishing vessels is one of the core areas with the most abundant fishery resources in the East China Sea, and it is also a traditional operating area for Chinese fishermen.
According to China's summer fishing moratorium system, the closed season for the East China Sea is from May 1 to mid-September each year, while the open season is from September 16 to April 30 the following year. The East China Sea officially enters the golden season for fishing, which highly coincides with the active period of fishing vessels and the fishing season in the East China Sea mentioned by foreign media.
Regarding foreign media claims that fishing boats gather in formations, Chen Yanping said, "It is actually impossible for fishing boats to dock side-by-side regularly at sea, or even form a long line." Fishing boats need to maintain a sufficiently long distance to avoid their fishing nets getting tangled together, usually spaced about 10 to 20 nautical miles apart.
The report quoted Yang Xiao, a researcher at the Institute of Peaceful Development of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, criticizing that foreign media intend to smear China by repeatedly hyping various fishery phenomena to create topics such as illegal fishing, cross-border fishing, or even military operations. (Editor: Yang Sheng-ju) 1150418
Stand with the facts, every sponsorship from you is the power to guard press freedom.
Download the Central News Agency "First Hand News" APP to grasp the latest news instantly.
The text, images, and audio/video on this website may not be reproduced, publicly broadcast, or publicly transmitted and utilized without authorization.