Washington, DC, January 20 (ANI): Senior US lawmakers have released a detailed investigation accusing China of being the world’s largest perpetrator of illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, warning that Beijing’s practices pose a serious threat to global food security, marine ecosystems, and US national security, according to a press release by the Select Committee on the CCP (SCCCP).
The investigation was jointly released by John Moolenaar (R-Michigan), Chairman of the Select Committee on China, and Carlos Gimenez (R-Florida), Chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee’s Transportation and Maritime Security Subcommittee.
The report states that China operates the world’s largest distant-water fishing (DWF) fleet, estimated to include more than 16,000 vessels, which it allegedly uses to intimidate other countries, strip marine resources, and dominate global seafood supply chains. The investigation claims China’s distant-water fleet functions as a state-directed system, removing geographic distance as a constraint on fishing operations.
According to the report, Beijing has monopolized global seafood processing through Chinese-controlled hubs, engineered a permanent cost advantage via state subsidies, and manipulated seafood markets to undermine US processing capacity, increasing American dependence on Chinese-controlled supply chains. More than 80 percent of seafood consumed in the United States is imported, much of it moving through China-dominated supply chains, the release noted.
The report also highlighted allegations of forced labor and human rights abuses linked to China’s fishing operations, which it said often go unchecked while China consolidates control over seafood processing worldwide. China was identified as the world’s largest seafood exporter, with annual trade valued at approximately USD 18.5 billion, further amplifying its influence over global food systems.
“The Select Committee has documented how numerous American industries have supply chain concerns that leave the United States vulnerable to China, and the food supply is no exception,” Moolenaar said. He added that the investigation shows how the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has exploited unregulated fishing to manipulate the global food supply, stressing that cooperation with allies is essential to address these vulnerabilities and protect American consumers.
Gimenez described China’s fishing fleet as a strategic tool rather than a commercial enterprise. “The CCP commands the world’s largest fishing armada like a military force,” he said, accusing Beijing of using it to exploit forced labor, destroy marine ecosystems, and dominate seafood supply chains. He warned that China’s efforts to monopolize food systems have devastated economies from West Africa to Latin America and directly impacted US national security and economic sovereignty.
The report further detailed how China allegedly uses its fishing fleet to extend state power beyond its borders, including leveraging fishing access for diplomatic influence, subordinating civilian vessels to military command, and deploying fishing boats for intelligence gathering. In waters near China, fishing vessels reportedly form part of a state-directed maritime militia operating under military command, equipped with reinforced hulls and water cannons for coercive actions, while reconnaissance units monitor foreign naval activity.
To counter these threats, the report outlined several policy recommendations, including expanding the role of the US Coast Guard to help allied nations detect and disrupt IUU fishing, increasing intelligence sharing to expose links between Chinese commercial fishing and illicit maritime activities, and requiring all international fishing vessels to carry unique identifiers. It also called for the creation of a “Fish for Security” coalition to link fisheries governance with maritime stability.
The investigation concluded that China’s actions represent a deliberate, state-directed campaign to achieve maritime dominance and monopolize global food systems, posing a direct threat to US national security, economic sovereignty, and the rules-based international order, according to SCCCP’s press release.
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