'China's Coast Guard' - A New Chapter By CWP Alum Andrew Erickson

This chapter analyzes the leadership, organization, fleet, and emerging trends regarding China’s Maritime Law Enforcement (MLE) forces. Together with the PLA Navy (PLAN) and People’s Armed Forces Maritime Militia (PAFMM), the China Coast Guard (CCG)—the world’s largest by far in number of ships—constitutes China’s “second sea force” and is in charge of “rights protection.” This entails upholding Beijing’s interests in disputed waters and involves bullying foreign ships to leave, as exemplified in the South China Sea. While the nature of contestation in the Yellow Sea is different, as there are no land features disputed between China and Korea there, Sino-Korean fisheries disputes could well prompt the CCG to deploy its assets and exercise coercion. Part of China’s armed forces, the CCG is regulated by the newly promulgated CCG Law, itself at odds with international law through its determination to impose PRC domestic law on international waters. China’s state-run shipbuilding industry juggernaut has enabled significant quantitative and qualitative CCG growth over the past two decades. Improving technological sophistication is the current focus. Paradoxically, the CCG’s apparent “weakness” compared to China’s heavily armed conventional Navy poses significant challenges to the United States and its allies and partners when contemplating or employing force.

China's Coast Guard: Organization, Forces, and Yellow Sea Applications

Book: Maritime Gray Zone Operations - Edition: 1st Edition - First Published: 2022 - Imprint: Routledge - Pages 23 - eBook ISBN9781003310723

https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781003310723-4/china-coast-guard-organization-forces-yellow-sea-applications-andrew-erickson

Dr. Andrew S. Erickson (艾立信) is a professor of strategy and the research director in the Naval War College (NWC)’s China Maritime Studies Institute (CMSI). A core founding member, he helped establish CMSI and stand it up officially in 2006, and has played an integral role in its development. CMSI inspired the creation of other research centers, which he has advised and supported; he is a China Aerospace Studies Institute associate. Since 2008 he has been an associate in research at Harvard’s Fairbank Center. Erickson has taught courses at NWC and Yonsei University, advises NWC student research and curricula, and supports NWC’s scholarly research relationship with Japanese counterparts.

Photo Credit: By Kmusser - self-made, based on DCW data., CC BY-SA 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2312392