The Voyage of the Meishan & Xiushan: China’s Template for a Blue-Water Coast Guard

Ryan Martinson , “The Voyage of the Meishan and Xiushan: China’s Template for a Blue-Water Coast Guard ,” War on the Rocks,” 4 November 2024.

The China Coast Guard cutters Meishan and Xiushan slipped into port on Oct. 17, ending a dramatic?35-day deployment ?that brought them from the East China Sea to the Sea of Japan, the North Pacific, the Bering Sea, and, ultimately, the Arctic Ocean — and back again.

The deployment, which occurred as part of a bilateral engagement with the Russian Maritime Border Guard, made news in China for two main reasons, both superlatives. It marked the first time that the two coast guards had ever conducted a joint patrol, and the first time that the China Coast Guard had ever operated in the Arctic Ocean. Both milestones lent themselves to easy narratives — of deepening ties between China and Russia, of Beijing’s expanding activities in the high north — narratives that the government of the People’s Republic of China did much to encourage.

However, the voyage of the Meishan and Xiushan marked another breakthrough, that, while less obvious, may be even more important. It was the first time the China Coast Guard had ever conducted a “blue-water”?paranaval ?operation. The composition of the task force (modified naval frigates), its leadership (a career naval officer), and the secrecy that attended its activities all differed from out-of-area coast guard patrols of the past. These facts, combined with Chinese framing of the mission, suggest that Beijing regarded the deployment as an operation to defend and advance its overseas interests, making it more “gray” (that is, naval) than “white” (coast guard). … … …

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