Nur eine grosse Seepolizei? Nein, Chinas Küstenwache ist ein Instrument zur Machtausübung
TITLE TRANSLATION: Just maritime law enforcement? No, China’s Coast Guard is an instrument of power.
The China Coast Guard demonstrated this impressively in recent weeks through its operations in waters east of Taiwan. Under the pretext of a “special maritime traffic law enforcement operation,” it also inspected at sea vessels sailing under the flags of third countries. These vessels have the right to freedom of navigation.
The operation shows:
1️⃣ A scenario in which Taiwan is placed under quarantine is becoming more realistic. This is exactly how it would unfold: preventing ships from traveling to or from Taiwan. And it would be enforced not by the navy, but by the coast guard through “administrative measures" and “law enforcement”.
2️⃣ The operation was also strongly directed at Japan and the Philippines, Taiwan’s neighbors. Beijing is outraged that the two countries want to delineate their Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs), which overlap east of Taiwan. Taipei and Beijing also partially claim these waters—and China is aggressively asserting its claims.
3️⃣ At the same time as its operation east of Taiwan, the CCG was also active around the Senkaku Islands. There, it enters the waters surrounding the Japanese-controlled island group on an almost daily basis. This meant that two CCG flotillas were positioned on both to the North and the South of the Miyako Strait the most important maritime passage between the East China Sea and the Western Pacific.
4️⃣ This is a signal to other U.S. allies, particularly South Korea and Australia. Australia imports one-third of its diesel from South Korea, and that fuel is transported through the Miyako Strait.
5️⃣ What is striking is that the UnitedStates has barely reacted to China’s assertive actions. The Americans have also not backed its ally Japan, even as it has been subjected to months of Chinese propaganda attacks. As a result, Beijing has a free hand. Its coast guard can enforce China’s power claims without consequences.
Read the full NZZ article in German, paywalled here.