The Brunei-based subsidiary of Chinese seafood conglomerate Guangxi Haishi Food Co. has delivered a series of training seminars to fisheries officials and aquaculture firms in Brunei as it looks to commence export of sea bass to China.
The company, also known as Haishitong Fishery, established its Brunei operations in 2016, producing sea bass seedlings for its own use and for local sale. The company is soon planning to begin exporting seafood from its Brunei offshore net-pen farms to China, Hiseaton CEO Cherry Wei told SeafoodSource.
Speaking at the launch of the training program, which is being subsidized by the local government of Guangxi, Chinese Ambassador to Brunei Yu Hong said China will aid Brunei in developing its aquaculture sector, in line with the government of Brunei’s plan to make fisheries central to the diversification of its economy.
In 2021, Brunei signed a protocol with China to allow exports of farmed seafood to enter the Chinese market. China, with its “huge market demand and advanced fishery technology,” is the ideal partner to help Brunei achieve its targets, Yu said.
“Fishery cooperation is an important area of cooperation between China and Brunei under the Belt and Road Initiative and the Guangxi-Brunei Economic Corridor,” Yu said.
Oil-rich Brunei is one of 60 countries backing China’s Global Development Initiative, a set of political-economic principles published by Beijing earlier in 2022 as part of a broader effort to extend China’s diplomatic influence.
China has ranked first in the world in aquaculture production for the past 32 years running and has recently put focus on improving the quality and efficiency of its aquaculture output and systems, Yu said.
Photo courtesy of Hiseaton
