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South China Sea
ChinaDiplomacy

US coastguard cutters have a South China Sea mission. Will it make a difference?

The vessels will take part in maritime security operations with regional partners in the western Pacific

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The US is sending half a dozen of its coastguard cutters to the western Pacific, redeploying them from the Middle East. Photo: US Naval Forces Central Command
Orange Wang
A US decision to redeploy half a dozen small coastguard ships from the Middle East to the South China Sea is unlikely to alter the balance of power in the disputed waters, Chinese analysts said.
In a statement on Wednesday, the US Coast Guard said it had moved its Expeditionary Cutter Squadron to the western Pacific to conduct “maritime security operations and cooperative maritime activities with allies and partner nations in the region, in response to national security requirements”.

“Expeditionary Cutter Squadron forces will integrate with US combatant commands to conduct exercises and maritime cooperative activities that enhance interoperability, strengthen strategic partnerships and advance shared security objectives throughout the region,” it said.

Earlier, the Wall Street Journal reported that the six 154-foot fast-response cutters were being sent to operate out of Singapore and the Philippines.

While Washington has previously sent larger coastguard vessels to Subic Bay on the Philippine island of Luzon, this deployment is the first time the cutters had been sent to the former US military base, according to the report.

It said the move would “help challenge China’s assertion of power in the Pacific” and was “the latest step in Washington’s efforts to deter Beijing from moving on … South China Sea features”.

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