US sanctions companies for rights abuses in Chinese waters

By FATIMA HUSSEIN
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Treasury Department says it’s sanctioning a group of companies and people linked to illegal fishing operations and human rights abuses in Chinese waters. One company is accused of maintaining working conditions so dangerous that five workers died after 13 months at sea, with three of the workers’ bodies dumped into the ocean rather than repatriated to their homes. The United States accuses the company of illegally shipping endangered species and abusing crew members through its subsidiaries and fleet of over 100 fishing boats. Illegal unreported fishing is associated with distant water fishing, where boats fish in other countries’ or international waters. China’s distant water fishing fleet is the largest in the world.