Yul Kwon:
Just a few days after China convinced the Association of Southeast Asian nations to keep out of the South China Sea disputes, a fleet of 30 Chinese fishing boats sailed to the Spratly Islands. The fleet's going to spend 20 days near the disputed islands, risking a potential confrontation with Vietnam. Vietnam calls the Spratlys the Truong Sa, while China calls them the Nansha. Both countries claim historical and legal rights to the islets, reefs and atolls that sprawl over 164,000 square miles of water. China's state broadcaster, CCTV, embedded a reporter with the fishing fleet.

Reporter:
It was a sleepless night with high expectations for those fishermen who arrived off the Nansha Islands. Small amounts of fish could be seen as the boat sailed in the dark night. Everything was being closely monitored by the ship's captain.

Ling Hongqi, Captain, Hainan Province:
I can only see about two or three hundred kilos of fish from the monitor, but we need around 4,000 kilos today to cover our costs.

Reporter:
The fishing began at about nine o'clock at night, when crew members were ready to cast the first net into the 1000-meter-deep sea. Even with decades of experience, if the weather does not cooperate, all those years of knowledge will mean nothing. Crew members grew anxious as the trawls were pulled back. The outcome was disappointing, as expected.

Ling Hongqi, Captain, Hainan Province:
It's only 300 kilos. Crew members in other boats said their results were not good either, due to the wind and torrents.

Reporter:
The captain decided to call it a day ahead of schedule. He said his crew usually works until dawn if there is abundant fish. But the fishermen are still optimistic about tomorrow, as they enjoy dinner made up of seafood they caught after two hours of hard work.