China's marine fish market remains stable during moratorium

China

China's marine fish market remains stable during moratorium

2025-05-12 10:57 Last Updated At：11:37

The marine fish market in southern China has remained stable during the current fishing moratorium period, supported by abundant stocks of frozen fish and a substantial amount of farmed fish.

Starting May 1, waters in the South China Sea north of the 12th parallel north entered a three-and-a-half-month annual fishing moratorium period to conserve species and enhance biodiversity.

In the aquatic product markets in Fangchenggang City of south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, the availability of certain marine fish has dropped due to the moratorium, and most offerings in the markets are frozen fish, alongside live fish, shrimp, and crabs harvested from nearby farms.

"These fish were frozen on the ship in advance and are now available for sale. Fishing is prohibited during the moratorium, and everyone is aware of this," said Mr. Cheng, a fish vendor.

"If there is fresh sea fish, I will buy some; if not, I can opt for frozen black pomfret. It's not a big deal; I can still buy fish," said Ms. Hyun, a consumer.

Although the supply of marine fish has decreased, many farmed aquatic products have stepped in to bridge the market gap, stabilizing the overall prices.

"The price is slightly higher than usual, which is to be expected. I don't find it very inconvenient," said Mr. Ling, a consumer.

In Lianjiang County of east China's Fujian Province, fish raised in marine farms are entering the market in large quantities, helping to alleviate the seafood supply shortage during the fishing moratorium.

"When our fish arrive at the market, they are still alive and swimming, which makes them more appealing to consumers," said Wu Zhong, a fish farmer.

The marine farms mainly cultivate four popular fish species, totaling around 150,000 fish. These fish supply the local market and are shipped to neighboring cities.

"The fish prices remain about the same as before and after the moratorium, with no significant fluctuations," said Chen Xu, a fish vendor.

China's Global Security Initiative shifts paradigm away from traditional zero-sum mentality: expert

The Global Security Initiative (GSI) proposed by China has shifted the paradigm in thinking about global security away from the traditional zero-sum mentality toward a vision rooted in dialogue and development, said a Chinese expert on Tuesday.

In April 2022, China proposed the Global Security Initiative (GSI), which aims to create a new path to security that prioritizes dialogue over confrontation, partnership over alliance, and win-win over zero-sum thinking.

The initiative provides a new course and approach to addressing the root causes of international conflicts and solving security challenges facing humanity.

During an interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN), Wang Xinsong, associate professor at the School of Government at Beijing Normal University, hailed the initiative's importance amid escalating global challenges.

"It's been four years and we have witnessed that the Global Security Initiative or GSI has transformed from a framework in principle to an action plan with many actions having taken place in mediating the conflicts. The major difference between the GSI and the traditional and the existing mainstream idea about global security is that the mainstream idea is being the zero-sum mentality where the belief is that one country's safety is possible only if its neighbors safety is not existent. The GSI shifts the paradigm in thinking about global security away from the zero-sum mentality by arguing that security at the end of the day is very much related to development," Wang said.

Over the past four years, China has consistently promoted the implementation of the GSI. By the end of 2025, the initiative has received support and appreciation from more than 130 countries and regions, as well as international organizations, and has been explicitly incorporated into more than 140 bilateral and multilateral documents at home and abroad.