NEW CHINESE COAST GUARD HAS SHAMED ITSELF BEFORE THE WORLD DURING ITS FIRST WEEK OF OPERATION

THE DRAGON ANNOUNCES THE FORMATION OF A COAST GUARD AND USES IT FOR BULLYING ITS NEIGHBOR THE NEXT DAY

Quite some time ago we carried a series of blogs describing the world's coast guards. At that time China hadn't consolidated its many maritime law enforcement agencies into a recognized "coast guard". If you read it you may recall that Some coast guards aren't even armed. The primary purpose of a coast guard is the enforcement of laws within the waters legitimately under the legal administration of the nation forming the guard. Many coast guards also provide search and rescue services, and environmental response services. A few like the U.S. Coast Guard are also naval auxiliaries and provide combat services to the nation's navy. However in such cases the vessels and personnel engaged in combat from Coast Guard fleets and rosters are temporarily transferred to the operational control of the Navy. The primary distinction between Navies and Coast Guards is the non aggressive posture of the coast guards. When armed they are lightly armed. When engaged in military work they are seconded to naval control and rarely identified as Coast Guard elements. When operating outside waters under some form of jurisdiction of their nation it is generally for regional cooperative exercises, or search and rescue operation extending into international waters. Coast Guards are formed as separate and distinct services from national navies primarily to provide services that defuse conflict. The Dragon has the dishonor of forming the first coast guard service expressly designed to provoke and inflict damage on coastal neighbors, steal maritime territory, and spread fear in a maritime region. The Chinese Coast Guard was not only formed expressly for these purposes, but began immediately upon formation to carry out its un-articulated mission of  making life miserable for its neighbors.

"Japan’s Defense Ministry scrambled fighter jets Wednesday to keep watch on a Chinese early warning plane flying over international waters between Japan’s main Okinawa island and an outer island relatively close to the disputed area in the East China Sea.

Around the same time, Japan spotted four Chinese coast guard vessels near the disputed islands for the first time following Beijing’s reorganization of the service to boost its ability to enforce its maritime claims.

‘‘It was an unusual action that we have never seen before. We'll keep monitoring with great interest,’’ Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said of the Chinese flight before leaving for Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines, where he planned to discuss ways to cooperate and check China’s maritime activity in the region. ‘‘I would like to share an understanding that we need to observe a rule of law, not a rule by force.’’ From Boston.com:  http://www.boston.com/news/world/asia/2013/07/25/japan-sees-new-chinese-ships-near-disputed-islands/pmjXbBHQxj7ArXiAaQjdGI/story.html

  China actually needs a Coast Guard but not for taking internationally recognized Exclusive Economic Zone Territory and Islands from neighbors. To take excellent ships and dedicated trained seamen and press them into service little better than piracy is a crime. The Chinese Coast Guard's civilian leaders have started what should be a respected organization out by assigning it missions unworthy of pirates.Mistrust of the Chinese Coast Guard by the international community will last decades if their aggressive posture was reversed tomorrow. At worse, the Chinese Coast Guard may be a disgrace for the ages.Mission effectiveness and international trust of coast guards are intertwined. No worse fate could befall a coast guard service than to start out institutional life under a cloud of aggressive action.