Foreign fishing vessels expelled by joint forces patrol

Ten foreign fishing boats have been “expelled” from the South China Sea following a coordinated operation involving ships from the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy, the China Coast Guard and local authorities in a move to safeguard China’s maritime interests, a military news website reported on Sunday.

During the five-day operation, the three Chinese ships checked more than 40 ships, Guan Jianjun, commander of the patrol, was quoted as saying in the report on 81.cn. The website did not provide details on the other ships that were inspected, nor the nationality of the fishing boats that were expelled.

The report pointed to some technical difficulties the joint patrol encountered, including a difference in the ships’ command codes which initially made communication between the ships awkward.

The patrols conform to international laws, and they are the general practices of many countries, Song Zhongping, a military expert and TV commentator, told the Global Times on Sunday.

The joint patrol is a model that will benefit the safeguarding of China’s maritime rights and interests by more quickly recognizing and dealing with any infringement of the country’s sovereignty, Song added.

If foreign warships are spotted in territorial waters, the PLA Navy will deal with them; if foreign fishing-boats are detected fishing illegally, China’s Coast Guard will intervene; and if Chinese fishers are caught violating the law, local administrative vessels will take the appropriate action, the website quoted Guan as saying.

Sea patrols cannot depend solely on the PLA navy as sovereignty protection requires support of the coast guard and administrative ships, said Song, adding that joint patrols are to become standard practice.

The joint patrol also inspected other islands in the area, exchanged experiences of military sites construction and the management of sea environment, 81.cn reported.

Although there could be voices hyping the China threat theory, China should implement this effective patrol method to all the sea areas under the country’s supervision to defend national security, Song said.

“China’s relevant measures are rather restrained from safeguarding the country’s security interests out of concern of not influencing regional stability… other countries in the South China Sea should adapt to China’s new measures,” Song said.