A fleet of simple fishing boats forms a covert fleet that Beijing uses to defend its territorial claims in the South China Sea. These vessels swarm in large numbers and are not interested in fishing.
By mid-May, Chinese fishing boats began to circle around Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea. Some had been drifting for some time near the picturesque reef in the Philippines’ economic zone.
However, these are not ordinary fishing boats and were not there to catch fish but to counter a Filipino aid fleet that was set to deliver supplies to fishermen near the disputed shoal. In the end, the aid fleet retreated before reaching the shoal.
The Chinese ships were part of a maritime militia, a shadowy army whose existence Beijing rarely acknowledges and has long used to hold or take over disputed territory it claims in the region, writes The Guardian.
The maritime militia has a long history in the area. Its key role in capturing Scarborough Shoal in 2012 triggered one of the most significant territorial disputes in the South China Sea.
China claims nearly all of the South China Sea, a claim invalidated by an international tribunal in 2016. Tensions have escalated, making this area a potential conflict point on one of the world's most important strategic and economic waterways.
The Philippine army presented images showing its soldiers fighting barehanded against the armed Chinese Coast Guard in the disputed South China Sea.
General Romeo Brawner Jr, the chief of the Philippine armed forces, accused Chinese personnel of boarding over eight motorized boats and repeatedly ramming two inflatable ships. He said that the Chinese Coast Guard personnel tried to prevent the transfer of food, firearms, and other provisions to a Philippine territorial outpost in Second Thomas Shoal, a disputed atoll in the South China Sea.
What is the maritime militia
China's maritime militia has existed for several decades but has become increasingly professional, well-equipped, and militarized under the leadership of President Xi Jinping, who revamped China's armed forces since taking power in 2012.
This fishing fleet consists of two main forces. One is a professional fleet of at least 100 specially built boats that resemble fishing vessels.
The other force, known as the Spratly Backbone Fishing Vessels (SBFV), is a larger group of actual fishing vessels operating in the ports of Hainan and Guangdong and have been integrated into China's missions.
The professional fleet has more powerful boats with better equipment, some of which are military. Typically, these appear in satellite images swarming around disputed areas.
The SBFV fleet is harder to detect and usually has lower-quality or no satellite transmitters. Some vessels have undergone structural and technological improvements.
Crews of both fleets are believed to consist of fishermen, civilian sailors, and former military personnel recruited through a Chinese government training program.
The vessels have smaller crews, usually around five to six people, if engaged in militia activities, unlike those involved in genuine fishing, according to South China Sea expert Greg Poling, director of the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI).
Where the money comes from
The militia is primarily funded through various government subsidies, and some personnel are full-time employees of state-owned companies, according to AMTI. SBFV crews also receive lucrative government subsidies for fuel to conduct militia missions, a source of income that discourages fishing.
"These crews can fish if they want, and occasionally they do, but most of the time they sit quietly and then gather in different places. It's more economical to just sit and not burn the fuel," explains Ray Powell, director of Stanford University's SeaLight maritime transparency project.
A 2021 investigative report by AMTI revealed that "there is no longer any doubt about the organization, funding, and leadership of the militia by the Chinese government." It stated that Beijing is legally responsible for the militia's actions, which "violate several principles of international law."
The Chinese government rarely acknowledges the militia's activities or that they are anything other than fishing boats operating in "traditional Chinese waters."
Employment contracts and articles in state-run Chinese media reveal explicit instructions from officials regarding their "political responsibilities" to operate in certain areas and support the military when necessary. And cities building professional militia fleets have been praised by the government and even visited by Xi.
How the maritime militia operates
The militia operates throughout the region, including in the Yellow Sea and the exclusive economic zones of Indonesia, Vietnam, and Malaysia, but at this moment, observers are focused on activities in the South China Sea, where tensions with the Philippines have reached a peak.
The fleets make incursions into foreign exclusive economic zones, block reefs and islands in dispute, and have repeatedly rammed or used water cannons against other ships through dangerous maneuvers, including against the US Navy.
Militia boats often float together to create a collision risk and prevent access or remain on a reef for months, strengthening China's physical presence in a region where it is key to controlling a location.
Simply put, the principle applied by China's shadowy militia is: "I'm here, so it's mine."
Chinese officials' statements suggest that the professional fleet is called upon first for more aggressive operations.
"The professional fleet is a direct but smaller threat. The [SBFV] fleet is larger but is a big headache. They just drop anchor. Governments need to treat them differently. One is a military threat, and one is like a sore throat, a law enforcement problem," explains Poling.
The Schoolyard Bully Doesn't Know What to Do Anymore
Governments and international bodies have repeatedly condemned China's behavior in the South China Sea, including operations involving the maritime militia.
The US, an ally through treaty with the Philippines, has repeatedly accused the Chinese militia of violating international law "to enforce its expansive and illegal maritime claims."
The Philippines, the target of the most recent militia activities, states that they "will not be deterred from conducting legitimate and lawful activities in our maritime areas."
Poling says that the Philippines has backed down more than it used to, but China's increasingly aggressive stance is pushing Manila and other neighbors to unite against Beijing. "China has been willing to do crazy things, and everyone backed down in the past. But it's not the same anymore, and like a schoolyard bully, China doesn't know what to do now," Poling points out.
T.D.