Here, in the fishing port of Tanmen in the southern island of Hainan, 50-year-old captain Chen Yuguo was in the wheelhouse of his trawler last week, carrying out minor repairs after a six-week fishing trip to the disputed Spratly Islands.
A portrait of “Comrade” Mao Zedong hung in a place of honor behind him, alongside an expensive satellite navigation system supplied by the Chinese government. Chen said catches are much better in the Spratlys than in China’s depleted inshore waters, but the captain said he is also fulfilling his patriotic duty.
“It is our water,” he said, “but if we don’t fish there, how can we claim it is our territory?”
在海南岛南部的渔港潭门, 在有争议的南沙群岛进行了为期六周的捕鱼之旅后,上周,50岁的船长陈玉国在他的渔船的驾驶室,对他的渔船进行了小修小补。
毛主席的画像挂在他身后的一个恭敬的位置,旁边是由中国政府提供的昂贵的卫星导航系统。陈先生说渔获量在南沙群岛比中国的枯竭近岸水域好多了,但他也说,他同时履行他的爱国义务。
“这是我们的水域, ” 他说,“但如果我们不在那里捕鱼,我们怎么能声称它是我们的领土? ”