China's accession to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization's (FAO) Agreement on Port State Measures is a pragmatic step towards true multilateralism, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said at a press briefing in Beijing on Wednesday.
The Agreement on Port State Measures (PSMA), which takes effect in China from Wednesday, is the first binding international agreement to specifically target illegal fishing, by preventing vessels engaged in such fishing from using ports to land their catches.
The Chinese government deposited its instrument of accession to the Agreement on Port State Measures to the FAO on March 17 this year.
"China is a responsible country in fisheries. We attach great importance to the conservation and sustainable use of fisheries resources and adopt a zero-tolerance attitude towards illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing. The accession to the Agreement on Port State Measures represents China's action to practice true multilateralism, and demonstrates the concrete effort of China to advance global ocean governance and uphold international maritime order. China will act in the spirit of a community with a shared future for mankind, faithfully perform its rights and duty in accordance with the agreement, and work with the international community to realize the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development," he said.
China joining UN fisheries agreement shows commitment to multilateralism: spokesman
