China 'Will Take Every Measure Necessary' to Protect Businesses After Latest WRO on Fishing Fleet

CBP's “claim of 'forced labor, abuse of crew members and withholding of pay' is fabrication that is totally inconsistent with facts,” China Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said during a May 31 news conference in response to a question about a withhold release order issued against the Dalian Ocean Fishing Company. The company “has never sold any products to the U.S., and there's nothing to detain in the first place,” he said.

The “facts fully show that the allegation of 'forced labor' is nothing but a lie concocted by the US side in an attempt to wantonly suppress Chinese enterprises,” Wang said. “China firmly opposes such political manipulation, and calls on the U.S. side to respect the basic facts and annul the wrong decision. China will take every measure necessary to firmly safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese enterprises.”

Dalian has sent about $763,115 worth of seafood into the U.S. so far this calendar year through April 30, a CBP spokesperson emailed May 28 after announcing the WRO (see 2105280019). That is up from the $320,808 worth of shipments it sent during the 2020 calendar year, during which it was going through bankruptcy. Dalian “is a major supplier to a seafood distributor,” the spokesperson said. “Although the United States appears to be a lower priority market for Dalian, CBP data indicate that more than $2.9 million of the company’s seafood entered the United States between January 1, 2019 and April 30, 2021.”