Europe's demand for fish is proving a boon for a Chinese firm with major operations in Africa.
Fuzhou Hong Dong Yuan Yang Fishing Co. owns what it claims is China’s largest overseas fishery base. The company ships more than 2,500 metric tons (MT) of seafood out of its Mauritanian facility every week to customers in the European Union and the United States.
Company CEO Chen Zhengjie said in a congratulatory feature on Chinese television news that his company “endured great challenges” in building the base, but is now moving 25 containers per week to clients in Europe and America. The feature was broadcast on Fujian TV, the state-run provincial channel.
Fuzhou Hong Dong is on a list of firms with operations in Mauritania licensed to ship into the E.U., as published by the E.U. authorities. The E.U., a net importer of fish, signed a new four-year agreement in 2016 with Mauritania that guarantees access to 280,000 MT per year for European vessels in return for EUR 59 million (USD 67.2 million) annually – on top of payments for the fish – for Mauritanian coffers, including contributions to improving local infrastructure and fisheries sustainability.
In a deal signed with Mauritania in 2011, Fuzhou Hong Dong Yuan Yang Fishing Co pledged to invest in its port, processing, and logistics facilities over a 25-year span. It currently employs 2,500 local and Chinese staff.
Ri Sheng Hai Yang Ocean Resources Development Co., another Chinese firm also on the E.U. list, has a joint venture with the Mauritanian government based at a free trade zone in Nouadhibou. Ri Sheng (it also uses the English name Sunrise) wants more customers for its canned fish as well as for Spanish mackerel, bonito and mullet. Sunrise has also been fishing grouper – a premium species in China and Southeast Asia - in Mauritanian waters, and produces fillets and fishmeal and oil.
The deal was criticized by environmental groups, who said it will deplete already-stretched marine resources, damage the catches of local fishermen, and threaten food security on the island nation.
Another Chinese fishing firm building what it terms a base – with processing and boat repair facilities – is Zhuhai Dong Gang Xing Long Distance Fishing Co.
Hong Dong, meanwhile is in government-level talks to build a similar base in Tanzania, on Africa’s east coast.
