China Casting for Strategic and Economic Gains via Fishing Agreements

Beijing announced it has signed or will soon sign bilateral agreements on fishing rights this year with three of its four littoral neighbors. Bilateral measures like these are fairly routine among nations with shared waters. But Beijing's apparent willingness to grant generous terms to its neighbors is curious - generosity is not typical of Chinese negotiators. From Beijing's perspective, the short-term economic costs will be enormous, but the agreements may offer bigger strategic and economic gains down the road.