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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”.


However, Liu Xiaobo, director of the Beijing-based think tank Grandview Institution’s Centre for Marine Studies, said that in regional security terms, the deployment was symbolic.
“China holds an overwhelming advantage in maritime law enforcement in the South China Sea. The US deployment is largely symbolic and cannot change fundamental dynamics,” he said.
Still, Liu cautioned, the American move could, to some extent, bolster the Philippines’ confidence in confronting China, potentially prompting Manila to more actively pursue its hardline policies in the South China Sea.
In a report in March, the Grandview Institution said China’s coastguard was several times bigger than its US counterpart.
It said that by the end of last year, the China Coast Guard (CCG) operated 280 enforcement vessels displacing more than 100 tonnes, with a combined displacement of 392,400 tonnes.
The figures not only dwarfed those of other South China Sea claimants – such as Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Indonesia – but also eclipsed the US Coast Guard’s 114 vessels with a combined displacement of 101,000 tonnes.
Hu Bo, director of the South China Sea Strategic Situation Probing Initiative, another Beijing-based think tank, said the deployment of the six small US Coast Guard cutters to the region should not be “overestimated” in terms of its potential implications.
The move might generate public attention but was unlikely to have any major effect, he said. “Even if all six are deployed, it will not change the regional balance of forces,” he said.
Hu added that the American vessels were unlikely to be used to help the Philippines in maritime operations, because Washington had no interest in doing so. Instead, the deployment could be more of an effort to help make up a shortage of US naval assets in the region.


The US military had very few major warships stationed around the South China Sea, with most having been deployed elsewhere, he said. “There is indeed something of a capability gap.”
He added that the US Coast Guard’s capabilities were also dwindling and the deployment was not sustainable.
Beijing claims sovereignty over almost all the islands and features in the South China Sea and their adjacent waters. Its claims overlap with those of several neighbouring countries, including Brunei, Malaysia and Vietnam, but the Philippines, a treaty ally of the United States, has been the most vocal rival claimant.
The US Coast Guard has stepped up its presence in the South China Sea in the past few months.
In May and June, it took part in three rounds of Maritime Cooperative Activity (MCA) exercises with the Philippine Navy and Coast Guard in the waters to expand the “interoperability” in their respective doctrines, tactics, techniques and procedures.
Although the MCA drills could be read as a sign of strengthening US-Philippine cooperation, they were held far away from sensitive features, Hu said.
“The US military … is still keeping a certain distance from the Philippines in the region, both in terms of policy and operations,” he said.
Liu said the expanding deployment of US Coast Guard cutters showed Washington was continuing its policy of deepening involvement in South China Sea affairs, helping the Philippines counterbalance China’s maritime law enforcement activities in the region.
“The US has consistently carried out maritime security cooperation with the Philippines to strengthen its overall maritime capabilities to counter China’s advantage at sea,” he said.
Still, he noted that compared with military forces, the coastguard was a less confrontational presence.
“The US is also seeking to avoid excessive military involvement that could intensify regional security tensions. Using the coastguard also helps with risk management,” he added.


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China

Diplomacy

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


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


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

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}The vessels will take part in maritime security operations with regional partners in the western Pacific

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