China’s Maritime Militia: A Shadowy Armada Challenging Global Security
Posing as innocent fishing fleets, a vast armada of vessels operates in international waters, pushing Beijing’s political agenda. This is China’s maritime militia, a secretive force whose existence China vehemently denies. But experts are sounding the alarm about its aggressive tactics and potential reach, highlighting its threat to global security.
A Paramilitary Force Disguised as Fishermen
“China employs its maritime militia as a paramilitary force,” Raymond Powell, director of SeaLight, a maritime transparency project of the Gordian Knot Center for National Security Innovation at Stanford University, explained to Diálogo. “Although they pose as fishing vessels, they usually do not fish but engage in aggressive maneuvers against vessels from other countries, with group attacks, blockades, and ramming, in close coordination with the Chinese Coast Guard.”
Operations Extend Beyond the South China Sea
While primarily active in the hotly contested South China Sea, experts are concerned about the potential expansion of the militia’s activities into Latin America. They cite the brazen, illegal, and destructive fishing practices of China’s large-scale fishing fleet in the region as a concerning indicator.
“Several international reports… have repeatedly denounced how Chinese vessels involved in illegal fishing not only fish, but represent an opaque naval force used directly by the Beijing government,” Argentine news site Infobae reported.
Evasive Action in the Galapagos
In August 2022, the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter James, conducting a joint patrol with the Ecuadorian Navy off the Galapagos Islands, was forced to take evasive action to avoid being rammed by a Chinese vessel. Two other Chinese boats swiftly fled the scene, as reported by the Associated Press.
“The high-seas confrontation represents a potentially dangerous breach of international maritime protocol,” the AP reported.
A History of Gray Zone Tactics
The use of fishing militias in the South China Sea by the People’s Republic of China dates back to the 1970s, playing a central role in asserting Beijing’s territorial claims.
Today, experts believe the People’s Armed Forces Maritime Militia (PAFMM) could command hundreds of thousands of fishing vessels of various sizes, some equipped with weapons. However, their objective is not direct confrontation but rather “win without fighting by overwhelming the adversary with swarms of fishing vessels,” explained Derek Grossman, a senior defense analyst with think tank RAND.
Harassment and Intimidation
Their tactics include surveillance, harassment, ramming, using high-pressure water hoses against foreign vessels, and escalating tensions. A key strength of the militia lies in its deniability. This allows vessels to harass and intimidate foreign ships while China maintains plausible deniability, effectively coercing nations hesitant to provoke the PRC.
“China has geopolitical aspirations that contradict legal frameworks. They don’t seem to care much,” María Isabel Puerta, adjunct professor of Political Sciences at Valencia College in Orlando, Florida, told Diálogo. “It’s a way of masking the pressure exerted by China. It has to do with the recognition that there is a legal order that they intend to bypass. So, they use these vessels as a bulkhead, because it’s clear they are working in coordination.”
A Global Threat
China’s maritime militia tactics threaten not only regional but also global security. By ignoring the sovereignty of its neighbors, violating international law, and strategically occupying resource-rich waters, China exerts political, economic, and military influence, according to Haroro Ingram, country director for the Philippines at the United States Institute of Peace.
“Its aggressive expansionism, its intimidation campaigns, and its occupation of resource-rich waters threaten not only the security of the Indo-Pacific area but global security,” Ingram stated in a December 11 opinion piece for foreign affairs platform War on the Rocks.
What Can Be Done?
As China’s maritime militia continues to operate in the shadows, it’s crucial for the international community to raise awareness, develop strategies to counter these threats, and uphold the rule of law in maritime spaces. Increased transparency, regional cooperation, and firm diplomatic responses are vital to deterring China’s aggressive tactics and safeguarding global security.