China is using its influence in the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to sway conservation decisions made by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), according to a new academic research paper.
Titled “Seizing A Venue-Linking Opportunity: China’s Strategy To Advance Its Sea Cucumber Interests In Global Environmental Governance,” the paper suggests that China is “venue linking,” or using its clout in one international body to influence procedures in a related body.
In this case, it asserts the nation is making inroads at FAO, which is led by Qu Dongyu, formerly a senior official at China’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, to play a leading role in environmental governance across the globe.
The paper points toward Chinese commercial fishing objectives and ambitious plans for aquaculture growth as reasons why it would want to impede efforts to add endangered species to the CITES list.
For instance, the paper cited a recent example of China effectively quashing CITES efforts to add the Apostichopus japonicus species of sea cucumber to its endangered species list.
China has significant commercial interests in sea cucumber production, for which the government has issued national standards regarding its cultivation and processing.
According to the latest edition of the China fishery yearbook published by the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Chinese sea cucumber output grew from 174,340 metric tons (MT) in 2018 to 248,500 MT by 2022 – a trend that would be stymied by a CITES designation.
This was achieved via aggressive targets for aquaculture expansion set by Beijing officials, such as China’s 14th National Agricultural and Rural Science and Technology Plan, which aims to, among other goals, enhance technology used on the nation’s aquaculture farms to dramatically increase output ...
