Argentine Coast Guard Fires Warning Shots At Chinese Boat

Warning shots were fired once again on the waters off the coast of Argentina by coast guard vessels against a Chinese fishing boat.

The fishing vessel, the Hua Xiang 801, was caught on Saturday illegally fishing in Argentina’s exclusive economic zone. The vessel did not respond to calls from the coast guard leading to warning shots being fired and a 3-hour chase at the end of which the fishing boat escaped into international waters.

You can watch video of the chase below:

This is just the latest instance of the Argentine coast guard unloading ammunition in the direction of a Chinese fishing vessel. Last February, Chinese fishing boats tried to ram into coast guard vessels, leading to an 8-hour chase with the coast guard firing machine guns and cannons ahead of the retreating fishing boats.

Back in 2016, the Argentine coast guard fired on and actually sank a Chinese fishing vesselthat also attempted to ram into the coast guard ship. The sinking caused China’s foreign ministry to express its “serious concern” and call for an investigation into the incident.

Thanks to disastrous overfishing nearby, Chinese fishermen have been forced to sail farther and farther away from home for a good catch. In recent years, they have been detained for fishing illegally in waters around the world, from Russia to South Africa to the Galapagos.