China is urging international community to well protect whales
at this year's annual meeting held in Ulsan, the Republic of Korea,
from May 27 to June 24.
"China is a non-whaling country. It has banned any whaling
activities, including commercial whaling for years," said Meng
Xianlin, an official with the Endangered Species Import and Export
Management Office under the Ministry of Forestry.
"We actually appeal the international community to strengthen
the protection over whales, to ensure a sustainable development of
this world marine delicacy," he said.
At the meeting, the International Whaling Commission (IWC) will
vote on several resolutions including whether Japan could expand
its whaling quota.
According to IWC regulations, three quarters of the vote is
needed to raise the quota.
"I hope China could participate in anti-whaling camp during this
year's voting," said Zhang Li, the China country director of the
International Foundation of Animal Welfare (IFAW).
China's voting delegation will come from the Ministry of
Agriculture's Bureau of Fishery, the director of which refused to
comment on China's decision.
IWC now has 61 member countries including China, which banned
commercial whaling in 1986. Commission regulations allow limited
hunting in Japan and other countries in the name of scientific
research.
Sources with IFAW show that three countries, Japan, Iceland and
Norway, have found ways around the worldwide whaling moratorium and
have killed more than 20,000 whales. Roughly 1,400 more will die by
the end of this year.
However, Yoshimasa Hayashi, a member of Japan's House of
Councilors, said at a previous occasion in May that at least half
of the commission's members were expected to back Japan to double
its annual quota and expand the number of species permitted for
hunting.
His remark has triggered criticisms from many countries, such as
Australia, Britain, the United States and New Zealand.
Australian Environment Minister Ian Campbell said last month
that he would seek a permanent ban on commercial whaling and an end
to Japan's whaling for scientific purposes at Ulsan meeting.
Japan argues that whale hunting is part of its culture and the
thriving whale population has been eating sizable fish stocks.
"Whales?do not belong to any country, it is the whole
world's oceanic resource, so no country could decide solely to
capture the mammal," Zhang Li said.
(Xinhua News Agency June 12, 2005)