The Chinese trawlers, loaded with fish, were taken into custody by the Pakistan Maritime Security Agency (PMSA), which has begun an investigation into their suspicious presence in Gwadar, where China has built a deep-sea port as part of its global belt and road initiative, reports The Guardian.

Hundreds of fishers have rallied against the Chinese trawlers since last week, accusing them of fishing in Pakistani waters and sending the catch back to China, the British newspaper reported.

“The fishers believe the Chinese trawler had caught fish on the Gwadar coast,” Khudadad Waju, the president of Fisherfolk Alliance Gwadar, told The Guardian.

“They are visiting other Chinese trawlers today to learn more. We demand that these fish should be auctioned in Gwadar and not be taken to China," Waju said.

A fisherman said Chinese trawlers are aiming to end their livelihood.

Akbar Raess, 70, who has been a fisherman for five decades, told The Guardian: "For centuries we have been fishing here. My grandfather was a fisherman and my children are fishermen, too. This sea provides us a living. The Chinese trawlers are here to end our livelihood. We will protest against them until the government stops granting them fishing rights."

Pakistan and China are all-weather allies.

The Gwadar region is considered to be strategically crucial as the port of Gwadar is considered the gateway to the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).