Chinese distant-water fishing firm Fuzhou Hongdong Pelagic Fishery Co. has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Argentine province of Santa Cruz in a deal that could see the area become a hub for Chinese fishing operations.
According to Argentine media, the deal will see Hongdong invest in the modernization of five ports in the Santa Cruz region. The Chinese company will also invest in several fish-processing plants in the region. The deal was inked in Fujian, China, where Santa Cruz Governor Claudio Vidal and Hongdong representatives recently met to discuss terms.
"This project is critical to strengthening the value chain of our maritime resources, generating jobs and modernizing provincial ports," Vidal said on Facebook. "It's part of our government's commitment to transforming Santa Cruz, leveraging on every project and every opportunity so our people have more and better working conditions. We need to reactivate our ports, and we’re working, researching, and developing strategies to achieve that, protecting our resources and generating the genuine jobs our port cities need."
Several other Chinese fishing firms, according to Argentine media, will also be part of the project, including Zhoushan Huaxi Fisheries, Hongdong Fisheries, Rongcheng Rongyuan, and Shanghai Kunting Import, all of which currently operate vessels just outside Argentina’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
Environmentalist Milko Mariano Schvartzman told SeafoodSource he feels the project would be detrimental to Argentina’s artisanal and industrial fishing in the Santa Cruz.
“Argentine shipowners cannot compete against companies that are subsidized and that do not comply with the rules,” Schvartzman, head of ocean projects at Argentinian NGO Círculo de Políticas Ambientales. “China does not do charity, and what they seek is to control the ports and manage natural resources. They do not respect labor or environmental standards, much less the agreements. Currently, China is taking steps to control all Argentine fishing resources. They have already acquired more than half of the fleet of squid-fishing boats within the Argentine EEZ. They are coming for everything.”
Headed by Lan Pingyong, who is also a member of China’s National People’s Congress, Hongdong has made investments in both Africa and Latin America and has become a reliable partner for officials from countries seeking Chinese investment. Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu, for instance, visited the company’s Fuzhou headquarters earlier this year, and Hongdong has heavily invested in a fishing port and processing operations in Mauritania.
