China Coast Guard 中国人民武装警察部队海警总队 | |
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Emblem of China Coast Guard | |
Racing stripe | |
Common name | China Coast Guard Bureau (中国海警局) |
Agency overview | |
Formed | July 2013 |
Employees | 16,296 personnel (2018) |
Jurisdictional structure | |
Operations jurisdiction | China |
Constituting instrument |
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General nature | |
Specialist jurisdiction |
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Operational structure | |
Headquarters | 1 Fuxingmen Outer Street, Beijing, China |
Agency executives |
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Parent agency | People's Armed Police |
Facilities | |
Boats | 164 cutters Multiple patrol boats (2018) |
Aircraft | Harbin Z-9 Harbin Y-12 |
Website | |
www |
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China Coast Guard (CCG; Chinese: 中国人民武装警察部队海警总队) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the People's Armed Police of China.[2] It is currently the world's second largest coast guard.[3][4]
The CCG is known to perform mostly coastal and oceanic search and rescue or patrols, including anti-smuggling operations. During wartime it may be placed under the operational control of the People's Liberation Army Navy.
Roles of the CCG are diverse but include:
After the reform in 2018, CCG consists commands (sub-bureaus) and divisions (local bureaus). The name in the parentheses is for general use.
The Chinese Coast Guard conducts periodic joint-training sessions with other navies, including the US Coast Guard service.[6] The Chinese Coast Guard has also participated in the annual North Pacific Coast Guard Agencies Forum in Alaska, along with US, Canadian, Japanese, South Korean, and Russian Coast Guards. As part of an exchange program, members of the Chinese Coast Guard service have been assigned to serve on U.S. Coast Guard cutters.[7]
The China Coast Guard was formed in 2013 from the maritime branch of the People's Armed Police Border Security Force and the other maritime law enforcement agencies in China. The unified Coast Guard is commanded by the State Oceanic Administration[8] and has been in operation since July 2013.[9] On July 1, 2018, the China Coast Guard was transferred from civilian control of the State Council and the State Oceanic Administration, to the People's Armed Police, ultimately placing it under the command of the Central Military Commission.[10][11]
In June 2018, the China Coast Guard was granted maritime rights and law enforcement akin civilian law enforcement agencies in order to carry out contrast of illegal activities, keep peace and order, as well as safeguarding security at sea, when performing duties related to the use of marine resources, protection of marine environment, regulation of fishery, and anti-smuggling.[12]
In 2019, the United States issued a warning to China over aggressive and unsafe action by their Coast Guard and maritime militia.[13]
The Coast Guard Law allows CCG ships to use lethal force on foreign ship that do not obey order to leave Chinese waters.[14] It took effect on February 1, 2021.[14]
Main article: Equipment of the China Coast Guard |
Chinese Coast Guard ships are painted white with blue stripe and wording China Coast Guard in English and Chinese.
Typical Coast Guard ships include the 130 ton Type 218 patrol boat (100 boats), armed with twin 14.5mm machine guns, assorted speedboats, and few larger patrol ships. Up until very recently,[when?] the largest ship in Chinese Coast Guard service was the 1,500 ton Type 718 cutter (31101 Pudong).
In March 2007, it was reported that the PLAN had transferred 2 Type 728 cutter (44102, ex-509 Changde; 46103, ex-510 Shaoxing) to the Coast Guard and re-numbered them as 1002 & 1003. At the time these ships were the largest vessels in the China Coast Guard inventory.
In May 2017, it was reported that China had deployed the 12,000 ton China Coast Guard (CCG) 3901 cutter No. 1123 to patrol its claimed islands in the disputed South China Sea.[15][16] The CCG 3901 cutter is the world's biggest coast guard cutter, and is larger than the U.S. Navy's 9,800 ton Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruisers and its 8,300-9,300 ton Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyers.[17] The CCG 3901 cutter is armed with 76mm H/PJ-26 rapid fire naval guns, two auxiliary guns, and two anti-aircraft guns.[additional citation(s) needed]
In 2022, the Coast Guard received 22 coastal defense Type 056 corvette from the Chinese Navy.[18] CCG ships are named "Haijing-XX", where XX is a number.
CCG ships are staffed by People’s Armed Police personnel.[19] China Coast Guard Academy is a dedicated institution that provides training for personnels to enter the CCG.[20]