Study on China's accession to the Agreement on Port State Measures

The Port State Measures Agreement adopted by the Food and Agriculture Organization aims to adopt and implement effective port state measures to prevent, deter, and eliminate illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing activities, thereby ensuring the long-term conservation and sustainable use of marine living resources. After the entry into force of the Agreement, China has made a statement to actively study and join the Agreement. However, joining the Agreement also faces problems such as lack of coordination in domestic institutional mechanisms, mismatched port capabilities, lack of uniformity and universality in port measures, and inherent deficiencies in the Agreement have constrained China's accession. In this regard, China should actively follow up and study the interpretation and implementation dynamics of the Agreement, review and construct domestic legislative frameworks, enhance the soft power of implementing port state measures, and seize the opportunity of joining the Agreement on Port State Measures to strive for authority in the field of port state measures and even in the management and conservation of marine fishery resources.