MERCOSUR did not sign a memorandum of understanding with a major Chinese fishing firm, despite the firm’s claim in a filing to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, according to the South American trading bloc.
China Ocean Group Development Co. recently announced it had signed a memorandum of understanding with Mercado Común Del Sur (MERCOSUR) to build a pelagic fishery base in Ecuador.
But a statement issued by MERCOSUR’s press office and sent to SeafoodSource said no agreement existed.
“We confirm that no agreement has been signed between MERCOSUR and China in December,” it said.
The statement directed SeafoodSource to an online data bank of all international agreements involving MERCOSUR, where there was no listing of an agreement with China Ocean.
A spokesperson for the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, where China Ocean Group Development Co. is listed, said the exchange does not comment on individual companies or issuers. The spokesperson referred all further comment to the company. China Ocean Group Development Co. has not responded to requests from SeafoodSource for comment, made in response to the company’s announcement of a purported agreement at a ceremony in December 2020.
China Ocean's filing with the Hong Kong stock exchange said it will send 100 vessels to Ecuador and build a fishing base in Ecuador.
“The board is pleased to announce that on 8 December, 2020, the Company and MERCOSUR entered into a memorandum of cooperation. Pursuant to the memorandum, the parties intend to build a deep-sea fishery base in Manta, Ecuador, which shall include offshore fishery docks, breeding, cold storage, processing plants, logistics, comprehensive supplies, maintenance and repair of fishing vessels, training and research of the fishing industry, and logistics trade,” it said. “The company will organize a total of 100 fishing vessels to go to Ecuador and Colombia and other countries to carry out fishing.”
The filing was also added to the profile of the company carried by Reuters as part of its online coverage of all listed firms.
China Ocean Group Development Co. Chairman Liu Rongsheng was joined by a number of Chinese executives, officials, researchers, and retired diplomats attended the signing at the Sheraton Hotel in Shenzhen. The official MERCOSUR logo was displayed on the backdrop to the signing ceremony in the photo published in local media. Ecuador is not a member of MERCOSUR.
Also present at the signing ceremony were the directors of the China Distant Water Fishing Association and the heads of two state-run think tanks: the Belt and Road International Cooperation Development (Shenzhen) Research Institute; Ministry of Commerce (China World Trade Research Institute) border trade commissioner.
An Ecuadorian diplomat based in Guangzhou, who was photographed at the signing of the memorandum of understanding, told SeafoodSource he was merely attending to “check the company’s proposals for Latin America.
“It’s not approved by government,” the diplomat said. “The company is planning to present proposals to [Ecuador’s] government to see if it will be approved or not.”
Photo courtesy of Alexey Struyskiy/Shutterstock
