“They are visiting other Chinese trawlers today to learn more. Zhang Baozhong, the COPHC chairman, denied that the detained Chinese trawlers were fishing in Gwadar, claiming they were sheltering from a storm. There is no foreign, including Chinese, fishing company fishing now, and no fishing company will be allowed to fish in Pakistan water in the future,” Zhong told the Guardian. He told the senate that the presence of the Chinese trawlers in Gwadar shows the government has indeed granted them fishing rights. It needs to be verified whether there was any ‘bad weather’ condition as claimed by [the] Chinese fishing vessels.”

Source: The Guardian July 13, 2021 17:48 UTC