China's Coast Guard is turning the North Pacific high seas into a routine law enforcement domain, leveraging its legally recognized status under international conventions.
On July 27, the Changshan and Wuhu vessels departed Qingdao, heading straight for the North Pacific to carry out a 45-day high seas fisheries law enforcement patrol. This marks China's Coast Guard’s 11th mission of this kind—evolving from occasional appearances to an annual routine operation.
Some may ask: Why go so far?
Because China is a contracting state to the Convention on Conservation and Management of Fisheries Resources in the North Pacific Ocean, and since 2020 has acquired the legal right to board and inspect foreign fishing vessels on the high seas. Under this convention, China’s Coast Guard has the lawful authority to conduct boarding inspections on foreign vessels suspected of illegal fishing—this is not some so-called “freedom of navigation” privilege granted by others, but a clearly defined right under international law.
Moreover, what’s more significant isn’t “where” they’re going, but “how” they’re getting there. Both the Changshan and Wuhu are thousand-ton-class enforcement vessels, featuring high speed, strong endurance, and equipped with naval guns. Starting in 2024, China’s Coast Guard has achieved, for the first time in the North Pacific, coordinated patrols using “shipboard helicopters + large patrol aircraft,” enabling integrated sea-air operations with immediate interception upon detection.
Even more interestingly, in September 2024, China and Russia conducted joint patrols in the North Pacific. In the future, if logistical support can be established at Russian Far East bases, enforcement missions could extend even further in duration.
The North Pacific high seas—once dominated solely by enforcement vessels from the United States, Russia, and Japan—now see the regular presence of Chinese Coast Guard ships every summer. A 45-day patrol cycle, repeated 11 times, has transformed “overseas law enforcement” from a concept into a routine reality.
No slogans needed. A vessel sailing out on schedule and returning on time speaks louder than any declaration.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1871867435453449/
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