Chinese ship in Ecuador 'did not conduct illegal fishing' : ambassador

Chinese ship Fu Yuan Yu Leng 999 didn’t conduct illegal fishing, Chinese Ambassador to Ecuador Wang Yulin said on Thursday.

Wang said it was a refrigerator ship rather than a fishing vessel and it didn’t conduct illegal fishing.

The ship on August 13 was detained in Ecuador over charges of illegal fishing off the Galapagos Islands. 20 Chinese crew members were sentenced to up to four years in prison and were fined a total of 5.9 million US dollars.

A Chinese crew member steps off a bus after being detained along with others over charges of illegal fishing off the Galapagos Islands.

Chinese crew members have evidence to prove that their cargo came from high seas, Wang said, adding that the Chinese government opposes all forms of illegal fishing and exercises zero-tolerance toward actions that involve the illegal trading of endangered wildlife and their products.

Wang said China will also investigate the ship's actions on the high seas and will punish all violations in line with both international and Chinese laws.

(CGTN)