China Coast Guard Conducts Rights-Protection and Law-Enforcement Drill Near Huangyan Dao
Dragon Media News Desk
The China Coast Guard has conducted a rights-protection, law-enforcement, management and control exercise in the waters near Huangyan Dao.
According to China Coast Guard spokesperson Jiang Lue, the drill covered operations including approaching vessels, boarding and inspection, search and seizure, preventing forced entry, and towing intruding vessels away from controlled waters.
Footage obtained by the Global Times showed the China Coast Guard deploying small boats, pursuing targets at sea, boarding vessels and carrying out inspection and control procedures.
Chinese accounts said the exercise was designed to closely simulate real-world law-enforcement scenarios. During the boarding, inspection and arrest phase, coast guard officers carrying law-enforcement equipment boarded a Chinese fishing vessel being used to represent a foreign ship.
During the forcible towing phase, two coast guard vessels employed a pincer manoeuvre to secure and remove a high-powered speedboat from the exercise area.
Yang Xiao, a researcher at the Institute of Peace and Development Studies under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said the publicly demonstrated procedures were specifically designed to address potential activities threatening China’s territorial sovereignty in the waters surrounding Huangyan Dao.
According to Yang, the exercise covered the entire operational process, including identifying unauthorized entry by foreign vessels, boarding and inspection, taking relevant personnel into custody, preventing forced intrusion and, when necessary, towing offending vessels out of controlled waters.
He said foreign vessels attempting to enter China’s territorial waters around Huangyan Dao could be inspected and brought under control in accordance with Chinese law. If such vessels refused to obey instructions and continued attempting to enter, the coast guard could employ progressively stronger law-enforcement measures.
Article 17 of China’s Coast Guard Law provides that foreign vessels illegally entering China’s territorial sea or internal waters may be ordered to leave immediately. If they refuse to comply, measures including detention, forcible expulsion or forcible towing may be taken.
Article 46 further provides that additional enforcement measures may be applied when foreign vessels conducting illegal production or other activities within waters under Chinese jurisdiction refuse orders to stop or reject boarding and inspection.
Yang described the exercise near Huangyan Dao as a clear demonstration of China’s legal authority and enforcement capability. He said it showed that China Coast Guard operations are not only supported by law but can also be implemented strictly and decisively when necessary.
He added that countries attempting to infringe upon China’s sovereignty and maritime rights should carefully consider the possible consequences of their actions.
According to Yang, the simulated opposing vessels used in the exercise were designed to be faster and more challenging than the foreign vessels currently operating around Huangyan Dao. This enabled the coast guard to test its ability to respond to more complex situations.
The China Coast Guard reiterated that Huangyan Dao is an inherent part of Chinese territory. It said rights protection, law enforcement, patrols, management and control in the surrounding waters would be further strengthened.
According to the Chinese position, these operations are intended to firmly safeguard China’s territorial sovereignty and its maritime rights and interests.
