In the late Qing dynasty, foreigners began encroaching on Chinese fishing grounds. In 1903, Zhang Qian, an adviser to the Qing government, angrily declared: "China has been without a maritime policy for so long, these officials have no idea how to protect our maritime rights!"
到清末，一九○三年發生外人侵犯漁權，清朝商部頭等顧問官張謇也憤而說出「中國漁政久失，士大夫不知海權」的話來。