【Wen/Observer Net Qi Qian】
US media can't stand the calmness of China's surrounding waters and once again start to "stir up trouble".
"Thousands of Chinese fishing vessels have quietly formed a barrier," on January 16, the US New York Times once again炒作 the East China Sea issue, fabricating the narrative of "Chinese fishing vessels as maritime militia", and speculated that this might provide more ways for China to "control so-called disputed waters" and hinder US military operations.
The report cited ship tracking data, stating that in recent weeks, China has quietly mobilized thousands of fishing vessels twice in the East China Sea, forming a large floating barrier.
The first time was during last Christmas, with about 2,000 Chinese fishing vessels forming two parallel long formations in the East China Sea. According to the ship position data at the time, each formation was about 290 miles (approximately 467 kilometers) long, forming an inverted L-shape.
On January 11, about 1,400 Chinese vessels suddenly stopped their regular fishing activities or left their mother ports, gathering again in the East China Sea to form a rectangular formation over 200 miles (approximately 322 kilometers) long. Ship tracking data shows that this formation was very dense, such that some approaching cargo ships seemed to detour or had to "zigzag" through.
According to the report, these unusual formations were discovered by Jason Wang, Chief Operating Officer of ingeniSPACE.
"I thought, 'Something is not right,'” he described his reaction when discovering the fishing vessels on Christmas Day, saying, "I mean, I've seen hundreds of vessels before, but never on this scale or with such a unique formation."
Map of Chinese fishing vessel assembly location during the Christmas holiday by the New York Times
The New York Times then stirred up "Chinese military threats", stating that these two gatherings, spaced several weeks apart and in the same sea area, showed a new level of coordination, possibly providing more ways for China to exert control over the so-called disputed waters.
Several experts claimed that this indicates China is strengthening its "maritime militia" forces, meaning that China has the capability to mobilize tens of thousands of civilian vessels in case of potential conflicts or crises, such as the Taiwan Strait issue, to block channels, interfere with the military and supply operations of opponents.
Former US intelligence official Ronnie Henry speculated that Chinese fishing vessels are too small to effectively implement a blockade, but they may hinder US warship movements.
Former US Navy officer and current Thomas Schaukat of the New America Security Center said that a large number of small vessels could also serve as "missile and torpedo decoys, overwhelming radar or drone sensors with too many targets."
"The sight of so many vessels operating in coordination is astonishing," said Mark Douglas, an analyst from Starboard based in New Zealand and the US, who said he had "never seen such a large and disciplined formation." He said, "It's very important to coordinate so many ships into such a formation."
Gregory Poling, a researcher at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said that these fishing vessels "are almost certainly not fishing."
Map of Chinese fishing vessel assembly location on January 11 by the New York Times
The New York Times mentioned that the January fishing vessel assembly took place in the East China Sea, near Shanghai - one of the world's busiest ports and main shipping routes. Cargo ships pass through this area daily, including those transporting China's exports to the United States.
Poling speculated, "This is an exercise to test the ability of civilians to gather in large numbers in case of emergencies in the future," and mentioned the Taiwan issue, believing that this action "may support the isolation, blockade, or other pressure tactics against Taiwan Island."
Some people also mentioned the recent diplomatic disputes between China and Japan and the PLA exercises. Professor Andrew S. Erickson of the US Naval War College said that the fishing vessel actions may be aimed at "opposing Japan" or conducting drills for possible Taiwan Strait conflicts. He said that according to the tight coordination of the vessels, this was likely a "maritime mobilization and maritime militia force exercise."
The report stated that both Japan's Ministry of Defense and Coast Guard declined to comment on the Chinese fishing vessel actions, citing the need to protect intelligence-gathering capabilities.
Henry noted that the recent large-scale assemblies show that Chinese fishing vessels are more organized and equipped with better navigation and communication technologies. He believes that China has greatly improved its ability to assemble and control a large number of vessels, which helps make fishing vessels become "support tools for combat or sovereignty protection."
In fact, portraying Chinese fishing vessels as "maritime militia" has been a common tactic used by foreign media. In recent years, normal marine activities such as fishing, surveying, and military operations by China in the surrounding seas have been increasingly exaggerated, questioned, and interfered with by countries such as the US, Japan, India, and Australia.
As early as 2016, Japanese media expressed concerns that fishing vessels around the Diaoyu Islands were actually "maritime militia."
In 2021, the Philippines and the US seized upon the situation of Chinese fishing vessels taking shelter at the Cow Horn Reef, referring to it as a "gathered fleet of maritime militia fishing vessels."
In response, former Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian pointed out that Cow Horn Reef is part of China's Nansha Islands, and the reef and its surrounding waters have long been an important working area and shelter for Chinese fishing vessels. It is reasonable and legal for Chinese fishing vessels to work and take shelter there.
He said that Chinese fishing vessels working and taking shelter in the relevant waters is a practice that has lasted for thousands of years. I don't know why certain parties refer to Chinese fishermen as so-called "maritime militia." This statement has ulterior motives and sinister intentions. Since some countries can define the events in Xinjiang as "genocide" and "crimes against humanity," it is not surprising that they call Chinese fishermen "maritime militia." Such clumsy tricks will not succeed, and everyone can see clearly.
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Original: toutiao.com/article/7596189860908073515/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author.