Countries around the world chafe at China's fishing practices, arguing its vessels often violate their 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zones and cause environmental damage and economic losses.

The geopolitical storm that followed US speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit is likely to put the livelihoods of farmers and fishermen in the Taiwan's southern Pingtung county at further risk.

Vietnam has intense maritime disputes with Beijing, which claims large stretches of the South China Sea and has sought to enforce its own fishing rules.

The State Department pointed to a 2016 ruling by a court in The Hague that rejected Beijing's claims, as well as the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, ratified by China although not by the US.

Clement Beaune, the junior European Affairs Minister, also accused British Prime Minister Boris Johnson of trying unsuccessfully to isolate France in the dispute over post-Brexit fishing licences for French fishermen.

Expectations of new agreements had been muted ahead of the gathering, which was postponed after new Swiss travel restrictions due to the Omicron variant meant many planned face-to-face meetings could not happen.

Governments spend billions of dollars every year subsidising fishing industries that provide a livelihood to millions of people.