How have fishing fleets been used to enforce territorial claims in the South China Sea?

In the South China Sea, fishing fleets are frequently utilized as a nonmilitary tool to assert and enforce territorial claims. China, in particular, has deployed massive fishing fleets into the exclusive economic zones (EEZs) of neighboring countries to project its presence and challenge the sovereignty of other claimants.1

This practice is part of a broader strategy to exercise control over contested waters, often leading to friction with other nations in the region. In an attempt to block the activities of rivals, various claimants have engaged in the arrest of foreign fishermen and sailors within waters they consider to be their own.1

These actions have been a point of significant international contention. In 2016, an arbitral tribunal under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea ruled that China’s interference with Philippine fishing activities within the Philippines' EEZ was unlawful. Despite such legal rulings, the use of fishing fleets remains a persistent method for nations to demonstrate their influence and maintain a physical presence in the South China Sea.1