Jan. 9, 2026

Combating IUU Fishing in the South American Pacific: An Opportunity to Counter Chinese Influence Closer to Home

In August 2022, USCGC James took evasive action to avoid a Chinese-flagged vessel that was attempting to ram the cutter in the Pacific Ocean. While most confrontations between the United States and China center around Taiwan or the South China Sea, this event took place off the coast of South America—nearly 10,000 miles (16,000 kilometers) from mainland China. The incident had little to do with Chinese territorial expansion. Instead, it focused on illicit fishing activity, the Chinese vessel being a member of China’s distant water fishing (DWF) fleet, the largest in the world.