China rebukes US allegations of 'illegal fishing'

China dismissed on Friday a report by the United States that accused China of "illegal fishing", arguing that the claims rest solely on US domestic law, contradict facts and lack grounding under international law.

"China strongly deplores and firmly opposes this," Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said at a regular news briefing. He stressed that such acts by the US are aimed at maliciously suppressing the development of China's distant-water fisheries and constitute a blatant political maneuvering.

Stressing that China is a responsible country in fishing, Guo said that the US, by contrast, has a notorious track record on illegal fishing, destroying marine resources and polluting the marine environment.

The US ought to reflect on its own misdeeds instead of smearing other nations, he said.