Coastguard here to help, US says to South China Sea nations
- Presence will help enforce sovereignty of partner countries in disputed waters, according to vice-admiral
- Vessels a response to China’s territorial claims in the region
The head of the United States Coast Guard’s Pacific operations has promoted its activities thousands of miles from American shores, in response to China’s increasing assertions of territorial claims in the region.
A presence in the South China Sea and elsewhere would help enforce the sovereignty of partner nations in the disputed waters, the US coastguard’s Pacific area commander Vice-Admiral Linda Fagan told a conference call.
Coastguard cutters USCGC Bertholf and USCGC Stratton are being deployed with the Seventh Fleet based in Yokosuka, Japan, and would help “law enforcement and capacity-building in the fisheries enforcement realm”, Fagan said.
The move comes amid complaints from Asian nations about Chinese efforts to assert territorial claims in the East and South China seas. Besides a growing navy, China has centralised military control over its 200-ship China Coast Guard, equipped the force with larger ships and deputised civilian vessels to help in the operations.
The resource-stretched US Navy has already put the American coastguard vessels to work, with the Bertholf joining a transit through the Taiwan Strait in March. Last month, the US coastguard staged a joint exercise with two Philippine vessels in Chinese-claimed waters, reportedly sailing past two Chinese ships in the process.