But they are not Chinese Navy vessels.
Their hulls are painted white, with “China Coast Guard” in block letters on the sides.
In just a decade, China has amassed the world’s largest coast guard fleet, and it is like no other.
More militarized, more aggressive in international disputes and less concerned with the usual missions of policing smugglers or search and rescue, the Chinese force has upended 200 years of global coast guard tradition.
But with coast guard standoffs quietly escalating around the region, officials and analysts increasingly worry about a rising threat: an accident or violent skirmish anywhere in the vast area that China’s Coast Guard roams, which could spark a broader conflict, even a war between major powers.
Persons:
standoffs
Organizations:
U.S . Navy, China Coast Guard, Guard
Locations:
Asia, China, Beijing, Taiwan