China remains world's largest aquatic product exporter for 17 consecutive years

BEIJING -- China has remained the world's largest exporter of aquatic products for 17 consecutive years, the country's agriculture minister said Thursday.

Aquatic product exports have exceeded 20 billion US dollars, with more than 97 percent of products meeting standards according to market monitoring, said Han Changfu, minister of agriculture and rural affairs, at a symposium.

The country's fishing industry has maintained rapid growth, with the output of aquatic products remaining the world's largest for 30 straight years and accounting for over 40 percent of the world's total, according to Han.

Meanwhile, various measures have been launched by fishing regulators at all levels to accelerate the industry's transformation and upgrade and promote aquatic ecological protection.

Han, at the symposium, urged more efforts to regulate the conservation of fishery resources, crack down on illegal fishing and strengthen aquaculture monitoring to ensure aquatic product safety.

The country will optimize its fishing ban system covering all types of water bodies and continue the tough battle against pollution in Bohai Sea area, Han added.