North Koreans seize Chinese fishing boats

Three Chinese fishing boats are being held for ransom by North Korean captors, Chinese state media reported on Thursday, an unusual ruffle in the relationship between the two Communist neighbours that highlights China’s growing conflicts at sea.

Twenty-nine fishermen were captured by unidentified North Koreans in Chinese waters on the morning of May 8, China’s state-run Global Times newspaper said, citing the captain of one of the boats.

The ships were seized in the Yellow Sea, about 100km off the west coast of North Korea and roughly the same distance from the east coast of China’s Shandong province. The identity of the captors and whether they were acting independently or on orders from Pyongyang is unclear, and North Korea has not issued any statements on the matter.

China is North Korea’s most important ally, supplying the pariah state with food, fuel and diplomatic support, and public disagreements between the two are very rare.

The incident comes amid rising tensions over China’s maritime boundaries, particularly in the South China Sea, where China and the Philippines are locked in a month-long stand-off.

China claims parts of the South China Sea that are also claimed by the Philippines, Taiwan, Vietnam, Brunei and Malaysia, and these disputed waters have been a rising source of friction as China’s military power grows.

The maritime spat between China and the Philippines was sparked by a fishing vessel dispute and has escalated into a serious trade and diplomatic row, with China blocking imports of some Philippine products and some Chinese airlines cancelling flights to the islands.

China and South Korea have clashed several times over fishing grounds, including an incident last year when a South Korean coastguard was killed.

However, the latest incident is unusual because China is North Korea’s closest ally and the two countries are not known to disagree over their maritime boundaries.

The captors demanded Rmb900,000 ($142,000) to be paid by Thursday to secure the release of the vessels, but the boats’ captains say they are unable to pay that amount, according to the Chinese newspaper.

Analysts questioned whether the apparent dispute signalled a deterioration of ties between Beijing and Pyongyang. “The spat is unlikely to seriously impact the wider relationship,” said Sarah McDowall, Asia Pacific desk head at IHS Global Insight. “The Pyongyang government continues to make efforts to maintain close ties with its Beijing counterparts through frequent visits and praise of their friendship and there have been no signs that this will change under new North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.”

China’s foreign ministry acknowledged the incident in a daily briefing on Thursday but did not provide details.

“We hope this problem will be appropriately solved as soon as possible,” spokesman Hong Lei said, adding that China and North Korea were in close touch over the issue.

Calls to China’s State Oceanic Administration went unanswered.

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