International advocacy and China’s distant water fisheries policies

Abstract

This article examines the impact of international advocacy on China’s Distant Water Fisheries (DWF) policies. Content analysis demonstrates that both international advocacy documents and China’s official responses have focused on the politics and transboundary governance of DWF, with China stressing agrofood production and international advocates emphasizing DWF’s environmental consequences. Neither party has placed much emphasis on structural complexity in China’s DWF policymaking. Even so, the congruence of interests in politics and transboundary governance underscores the importance of international advocacy in influencing perception changes that necessarily precede policy change in China’s DWF governance.