How does converting a Chinese navy ship into a coastguard vessel aid Beijing’s maritime mission?

Name: Diaoyu-Senkaku islands spat deepens as Japan warns China over coastguard ships in East China Sea
Uploaded: 2022-02-19T22:00:20.000Z
Duration: 1 min 56 s
Description: Diaoyu-Senkaku islands spat deepens as Japan warns China over coastguard ships in East China Sea

Maritime journal lists pros and cons of converting naval corvette for coastguard after image shows Type 056 ship modified in Hudong-Zhonghua shipyard

The development ‘can be seen as an explicit message that China will not sit idle and let other countries meddle in its maritime issues’, article says

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China is reported to have converted Type 056 corvette to become a coastguard vessel. Photo: Roy Issa

Kristin Huang

Published: 6:00am, 20 Feb 2022Updated: 3:42pm, 20 Feb 2022

Converting naval corvettes into China Coast Guard ships could boost the power of the enforcement agency and tackle sensitive maritime issues in a more flexible way, according to a Chinese journal.

“China’s maritime law enforcement environment has become increasingly serious as foreign countries led by the United States complicated issues regarding the Diaoyu Islands and sensitive South China Sea islands,” said an article published this month in the latest edition of the Chinese magazine Naval and Merchant Ships.

The Type 056 is a class of corvette whose major duties include mid-range green-water missions and littoral duties, rather than blue-water combat operations. Its variant, the Type 056A, is capable of anti-submarine warfare.

China’s first Type 056 entered service in February 2013 to replace outdated vessels such as the Type 053 frigate. In December 2019, China ceased building such ships and focused on procuring bigger warships for high-seas missions. China has 22 Type 056 and 50 Type 056A corvettes.

“The goal of the Chinese navy is to go to deep oceans and better safeguard China’s overseas interests. At present, a large number of non-military tasks near the coast can be handled by the coastguard,” the Naval and Merchant Ships article said.

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Diaoyu-Senkaku islands spat deepens as Japan warns China over coastguard ships in East China Sea

It said Type 056 could better handle a collision between vessels, a frequent occurrence in maritime conflicts, when compared to civilian ships, and could conduct electronic jamming.