Why China wants stronger policing of disputed waters under new 5-year plan

China has pledged to strengthen maritime law enforcement and bolster legal and institutional mechanisms to defend its claims in disputed waters. Outlined in Beijing’s latest five-year policy blueprint, the resolution reflects its effort to strengthen China’s position in increasingly contested waters. China’s 15th five-year plan, which covers the 2026-2030 period, also signals a push by policymakers to expand China’s influence in shaping global maritime governance and rule-making. Unlike the 2021-2025 plan, which underscored deeper participation in global maritime governance, the strategy unveiled on Thursday appears to place greater emphasis on a combination of external diplomacy and stronger domestic enforcement capacity to safeguard China’s maritime interests. This year marks a decade since an international tribunal at The Hague ruled against China, invalidating its claims to historic and economic rights over most of the South China Sea. China refused to take part in the proceedings, initiated by the Philippines in 2013, maintaining that the tribunal had no jurisdiction over sovereignty disputes. It has since consistently rejected the ruling. However, critics often cite the case as a prime example of China failing to abide by international law, and it has remained a persistent source of friction in Beijing’s relations with rival claimants. According to the latest five-year blueprint, released as the country’s top legislative and political advisory bodies convened in Beijing for the annual “two sessions” meetings, China will step up efforts to boost what it calls “public awareness of maritime issues”. It will also improve “strategic assessment, risk prevention and the use of legal means” to safeguard national interests at sea. The plan further aims to strengthen “institutional mechanisms for protecting maritime rights and interests” while bolstering “maritime law enforcement and judicial capabilities”. On the international front, it says China will be “proactive” in taking part in the formulation of global ocean governance rules while “actively” fulfilling its obligations under the High Seas Treaty. The treaty, which took effect in January, aims to safeguard maritime areas beyond any nation’s jurisdiction, while regulating access to valuable marine genetic resources that could unlock breakthroughs in pharmaceuticals. In what could be interpreted as an attempt by Beijing to expand its sway over global rule‑making, the 2026-2030 plan also calls for promoting the establishment of international maritime governance institutions within China. Chen Xiangmiao, a research fellow at the government-backed National Institute for South China Sea Studies, said the focus on law enforcement highlighted the growing challenges facing China in maritime affairs. “The situation has become more difficult than it was five years ago – with conflicts getting sharper and challenges more severe – which also poses a grave challenge to the stability of China’s neighbourhood diplomacy,” he said. The increased focus on maritime governance comes against the backdrop of long-standing territorial disputes with several neighbours, including Japan over the Diaoyu Islands – Tokyo-administered East China Sea features known in Japan as the Senkakus. In the South China Sea, tensions over contested features between China and Southeast Asian neighbours including Vietnam and the Philippines have emerged as a major regional flashpoint. Beijing has in recent years also stepped up patrols near the Taiwan coast, while Chinese coastguard and navy vessels have at times engaged in stand-offs in the South China Sea with US vessels carrying out what Washington describes as “freedom of navigation operations”. Beijing sees Taiwan as part of China to be reunited by force if necessary. The US, Japan and Southeast Asian nations, like most countries, do not recognise Taiwan as an independent state. However, Washington is opposed to any attempt to take the self-governed island by force and is committed to supplying it with weapons. The United States is also a major defence ally of Japan and the Philippines. Chen pointed to China’s increased focus on maritime security, after having “long emphasised maritime rights”. China has markedly boosted its maritime law-enforcement capabilities in recent years. Its fleet of large, armed coastguard vessels surpasses those of most Southeast Asian countries in both size and ability. A law enacted in 2021 also authorises the Chinese coastguard to “take all necessary measures including the use of weapons” in disputed waters. Meanwhile, China has sought to boost its soft power in maritime governance. Last month, China made a surprise bid to host the secretariat of the High Seas Treaty, now the most important maritime law after the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, signalling its resolve to take a more proactive role in global ocean governance. According to Collin Koh, a senior fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore, the move reflects China’s broader strategy to boost its sea prowess and influence on global narratives through all elements of national power. Koh said this included coastguard build-up and maritime legislative moves as well as investment in domestic and foreign shipbuilding and port infrastructure. “This constitutes an aspect of trying to bolster China’s international discursive power which Beijing long lamented to be dominated by the West.” Chen, however, said that there was significant room for improvement, which was why the plan mentioned “institutional mechanisms”. “Neither the coastguard nor the navy can manage these tasks on their own – coordination between the two is essential,” he said. “To effectively address the increasing intensity and scale of maritime challenges, we also need interdepartmental collaboration, clearly defined responsibilities and robust legal support.”

Why China wants stronger policing of disputed waters under new 5-year plan

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Focus on maritime law enforcement believed to highlight growing challenges facing Beijing, particularly in the South China Sea

Focus on maritime law enforcement believed to highlight growing challenges facing Beijing, particularly in the South China Sea