Beijing unveiled a plan March 10 to place four of China's five maritime law enforcement agencies under one administration. The four will remain distinct entities, but they now will be overseen by the National Oceanic Administration. The administration, which currently directs China Marine Surveillance, will have oversight of the coast guard forces of the Public Security Ministry, the fisheries law enforcement command of the Agriculture Ministry and the maritime anti-smuggling police of the General Administration of Customs. The China Maritime Safety Administration, which administers matters related to maritime and shipping safety, will remain under the Ministry of Transport.
The newly expanded body, to be known as the State Oceanic Administration, will remain linked to the Ministry of Land and Resources and will carry out law enforcement activities under the operational direction of the Ministry of Public Security. The administration will be tasked with setting overarching strategic goals. The need for consolidated oversight of China's maritime enforcement agencies has been recognized for some time. Until now, numerous factors — including institutional inertia, turf fighting and the considerable effort required — have hampered consolidation.
The reorganization comes as Beijing is becoming increasingly reliant on its maritime agencies to press its territorial claims in the South and East China seas. The Chinese government has been steadily strengthening its maritime agencies to patrol and project its presence on the large number of islands, islets and reefs that it is vying with its maritime neighbors to control. Beijing's push to improve the effectiveness of its maritime law enforcement agencies via reforms that enhance efficiency and command and control are running parallel to its efforts to build new vessels for the China Marine Surveillance.
Of all China's neighbors, only Japan has a maritime law enforcement agency that has proven able to match that of the Chinese. Both Beijing and Tokyo are making considerable efforts, spearheaded by their respective maritime law enforcement agencies, to maintain an edge over their claims to the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands.
Tokyo has used its powerful coast guard to press its case. It plans to set up a new 600-member coast guard unit equipped with 12 patrol ships for exclusive deployment in missions around the disputed islands. This will entail the largest staff increase to the Japanese coast guard in 32 years. Taking a page from the Chinese playbook, Japanese Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera announced last week that Tokyo is also considering converting retired navy vessels into coast guard patrol ships.
China's maritime agencies and Japan's coast guard are largely unarmed. Using them in the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands dispute rather than heavily armed naval vessels thus diminishes the likelihood of a military engagement. China has in fact pursued a strategy of using its maritime law enforcement agencies as a foreign policy tool to push its territorial claims without risking an escalation to actual shooting.
Still, as both China and Japan gear up for a serious buildup of their maritime agencies, the waters around the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands are becoming increasingly crowded. There already have been a number of close calls between the Chinese and Japanese militaries near the disputed islands, including close fighter intercepts and radar lock-ons between ships. A miscalculation or accident as both maritime law enforcement agencies harass each other could very well occur, especially as tensions continue to drag on and both sides send more forces to the islands.
