China’s alleged abuse of the world’s oceans was examined in recent studies into its vast fishing fleet, which is accused of destroying maritime ecosystems far from its shores and perpetuating the industry’s forced labor practices.
China-flagged ships on the high seas were involved in “theft on a grand scale, unrestricted warfare on natural resources,” said a report by the SeaLight project, which says it uses “commercially available technology to shed light on the maritime ‘gray zone.'”
Illegal, unregulated and unreported (IUU) fishing by Chinese vessels was happening throughout the Asia-Pacific, including within other countries’ exclusive economic zones (EEZ), according to SeaLight, which is under Stanford’s Gordian Knot Center for National Security Innovation.
China’s People’s Liberation Army celebrates its centenary in 2027, what are its goals for this date? The PLA is already the largest army in the world with over 2 million soldiers. It also has the biggest number of warships. But China’s defense budget is still climbing amidst increasing geopolitical tensions. How exactly is the PLA “preparing for Dangerous Storms” as tasked by President Xi?
Amidst rising tensions in the South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait, the American military is set to expand its presence in the Philippines. The Marcos administration wants to increase the number of US forces in the country, by allowing Americans access to four additional military bases including Palawan and Cagayan, through the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA). This move reverses the cooling US-Filipino ties under President Duterte. But the long, storied history between the two countries could complicate the return of US troops. At the same time, Chinese investments in the archipelago are in jeopardy, as Beijing protests the move. What is behind this troop buildup in the Philippines, and could this raise the temperature in the region, as China reacts to the growing American might at its doorstep?
At the 56th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting and its related meetings in Jakarta in July, it was announced that negotiations for the Code of Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (COC) had achieved progress on two fronts. First, the second reading of the Single Draft COC Negotiating Text was completed. Second, a set of Guidelines for Accelerating the Early Conclusion of an Effective and Substantive Code of Conduct in the South China Sea was adopted at the Post Ministerial Conference 10+1 Meeting with China. As a matter of fact, these developments are rather more procedural (and perhaps political) than substantive.
This post explains how the AIS vessel tracking system works and how bad actors abuse the system.
Miao Shou, Gaute Friis | AUGUST 21, 2023
Miao Shou
Analyst
Gaute Friis
Analyst
Tracking vessels’ Automatic Information System (AIS) signals is a core means SeaLight and other open-source intelligence collectors use to monitor maritime activity. AIS is a broadcast system that maritime authorities use to identify a vessel’s unique identification number, type, position, course, speed and navigation status.
The International Maritime Organization (IMO) mandates the use of AIS to ensure maritime safety and direct marine traffic more efficiently. According to the International Maritime Organization’s International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) Regulation V/19.2.4, all vessels over 300 gross tons (or 500 tons for those not on international voyages) and passenger ships of any size are required to “carry automatic identification systems capable of providing information about the ship to other ships and to coastal authorities.”
“Going dark” refers to the gray zone tactic of strategically turning off a vessel’s Automatic Information System (AIS) transponder to avoid detection.
Miao Shou | AUGUST 17, 2023
Vessels operating without AIS inside a country’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). (Credits: Unseenlabs)
Miao Shou
Analyst
“Going dark” refers to the gray zone tactic of turning off a vessel’s Automatic Information System (AIS) transponder to avoid detection. AIS is a signaling system used to identify a vessel’s type, position, course, speed and other navigation safety information, and is required by the International Maritime Organization for larger non-military ships operating in international waters. Read our primer on the AIS system here.
Going Dark in the Recent Water Cannon Incident
In a recent incident that involved the blockade and water-cannoning of a small Philippine resupply vessel and its escorts, six of the blockading ships were from the China Coast Guard. Of these, only one ship (CCG 5402) remained AIS-visible during the entire engagement, while two other ships (CCG 4203 and CCG 3302) broadcast AIS only intermittently.
This tactic consists of blasting another ship with a powerful stream of water using a high-pressure water cannon.
Gaute Friis | AUGUST 7, 2023
CCG 31101 blasts a VCG vessel with water cannon, May 5, 2014. (Source: VCG)
Gaute Friis
Analyst
As of this writing, the Philippines has just produced evidence that its coast guard and resupply vessels were subjected to assault by water cannons from China Coast Guard ships on 5 August 2023. This occurred during the regular rotation and resupply mission to the Philippine Navy’s outpost aboard the grounded BRP Sierra Madre at Second Thomas (Ayungin) Shoal, and is reminiscent of a similar incident in November 2021.
Spoofing is the act of deceptively and deliberately falsifying a vessel’s AIS identifying information or location.
Gaute Friis | SEPTEMBER 3, 2023
A China Coast Guard (CCG) cutter transmits fraudulent AIS signals to nearby vessels, appearing as a fishing boat on their monitoring equipment (Credit: Gaille Powell).
Gaute Friis
Analyst
Spoofing is a deception tactic meant to disrupt monitoring of maritime activities. It is frequently employed by Chinese gray zone actors in the South China Sea. In contrast to the “going dark” tactic of simply disabling a vessel’s Automatic Information System (AIS) broadcast, the spoofing tactic involves manipulating transmitting signals in order to falsify a vessel’s identity and/or location.
Cable-cutting is a sabotage and harassment tactic in which a ship will attempt to sever the cable to another ship’s trailing equipment, such as trawler lines or towed array sonars.
Gaute Friis | JULY 26, 2023
Chinese fisherman using a boat hook pole in an attempt to snag the cable connecting U.S ocean surveillance ship USNS Impeccable’s towed sonar array, March 8, 2009. (Source: USN)
Gaute Friis, analyst
This tactic is an act of sabotage which aim to cut the cables to a ship’s trailing equipment, such as trawler lines or towed array sonars.
Cable-cutting is most frequently used against commercial research vessels conducting survey operations in disputed maritime zones, such as within China’s huge “nine-dash line” claim in the South China Sea.
Dazzlers are non-lethal laser weapons meant to cause temporary blindness in humans or confound sensors. Recently employed against the Philippine Coast Guard, laser dazzlers have also been employed against U.S. and Australian military helicopters and surveillance planes operating in the region.
Gaute Friis | SEPTEMBER 12, 2023
CCG 5205 firing laser at Philippine Coast Guard cutter BRP Malapascua, February 6, 2023 (Source: Philippine Coast Guard)
Gaute Friis Analyst
Dazzlers are an emerging category of non-lethal but potentially dangerous weapons and a relatively recent addition to China’s gray zone arsenal. They can be used as a harassment tool; for destroying sensitive electro-optical sensors as an electronic warfare component; or as a weapon of psychological warfare.
Dazzlers are not themselves considered illegal. The U.S. military — which refers to them as “non-lethal optical distractors” — considers them an essential capability to “minimize fatalities, protect the innocent and limit collateral damage” when the alternative is lethal force, with the caveat that:
“Prior to fielding, all previously and currently fielded lasers or distracter devices have undergone legal reviews to ensure compliance with obligations assumed by the U.S. under applicable treaties, customary international law, and the law of armed conflict.”
China has used dazzlers to temporarily blind the crew of other countries’ ships. Because dazzlers have both physical and psychological effects their use against vessels at sea is hazardous, eroding their crews’ ability to navigate and react to maritime contingencies.
As detailed in our “going dark” playbook entry, a Chinese Coast Guard cutter used a dazzler to harass a Philippine resupply escort mission on February 6th, 2023.
The Philippine Coast Guard later clarified that was the second time this had occurred during a resupply mission.
Note: Any use of lasers to permanently blind personnel is illegal under Protocol IV (Blinding Laser Weapons) under the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons, which China joined in 1998.
While China’s use of maritime gray zone tactics is well known, few resources describe the actual tactics in detail. We’ve developed a publicly available systematic examination of these concrete tactics, which we will roll out for you in the coming weeks.
The latest “standard map” released by China on August 28, 2023, has sparked a rare display of unity among its neighbours against the expanded territorial claims by Beijing. Japan joined a list of countries, which also include India, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam, that have lodged protests against territorial claims by China in disputed areas in the region. The release of the new map came ahead of the attendance of Chinese Premier Li Qiang at two key summits: Asean and the Group of 20.
The South China Sea is a crucial waterway in Asia – and a source of regional tensions. Without a code of conduct, Filipinos living in or near disputed waters say they are being impacted by overlapping territorial claims.
Near Scarborough Shoal, fishermen are struggling to eke out a living, as they cannot easily enter some fishing grounds. A tour to the Spratly Islands shows how tensions are playing out, with radio challenges and the constant presence of vessels from some claimant states.
Thitu Island, also known as Pagasa – meaning “hope” – is a crucial outpost for the Philippines in the Spratlys. But infrastructure is limited; and while there are plans to ramp up the building of facilities, this also means pressure on the marine ecosystem, in a region where conflicting claims risk overshadowing the need for marine conservation. CNA Correspondent travels to the contested waters of the South China Sea to find out how the dispute is affecting the Philippines and its people
0:00 Introduction 0:48 Fishing challenges in Scarborough Shoal 6:58 Tourism in trouble at Spratly Islands? 15:25 Limited infrastructure on remote outpost 18:52 Amid conflicting claims, hope for marine protection?
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