Indonesia’s fisheries minister has been labeled a “mad woman” by a leading Chinese trade publication for her policy of sinking vessels found fishing illegally in the country’s waters.
Susi Pudjiastuti has overseen the sinking of 170 vessels since 2014, according to “Dong Pin Dong Lue” (Chilled Foods Strategy), a publication covering China’s food and seafood sectors.
The newspaper blasts Indonesia’s Fisheries Ministry for the policy’s impact on Chinese industry and questions whether the destructions are legal, given the disputed nature of the waters of the South China Sea – most of which is claimed by China.
However, Pudjiastuti’s strategy may be working. Industry figures inside and outside of China have suggested that a large increase in Indonesian exports to China in 2017 is due to more rigorous tracing of catches and booking by Chinese vessels at Indonesian ports.
