China Sends Drone-Equipped Ships on North Pacific Patrol

China continued expanding its maritime presence in the Pacific by deploying two coast guard vessels—one reportedly carrying a drone—for a fishery law enforcement patrol.

Newsweek has reached out to China’s Foreign Ministry for further comment via email.

Why It Matters

As part of the country’s rapid military buildup, the China Coast Guard (CCG) operates the world’s largest maritime law enforcement fleet, with more than 150 vessels over 1,000 tons, according to a Pentagon report. The fleet includes former naval corvettes and two 12,000-ton “monster” ships, the biggest coast guard vessels in the world.

Like the Chinese navy, the CCG has expanded its presence beyond East Asian waters in recent years, including a joint exercise and patrol with its Russian counterpart in the North Pacific last year. Since 2015, the CCG has also deployed vessels to the North Pacific to conduct fishery law enforcement in accordance with an international treaty.

What To Know

The CCG announced that two vessels—hull numbers 1303 and 1305—departed from Shanghai in East China on Wednesday for a fishery law enforcement patrol mission in international waters of the North Pacific. The deployment is scheduled for 31 days.

Citing photos released by the CCG, @type36512, a Japan-based Chinese military observer on the social media platform X, noted that the vessel 1303 appeared to be carrying a drone on its rear deck, while a helicopter was stationed on the vessel 1305.

This two-vessel deployment marked the 10th time the CCG has been dispatched to fulfill China’s international obligations under United Nations General Assembly Resolution 46/215 and the Convention on the Conservation and Management of High Seas Fisheries Resources in the North Pacific Ocean, according to a statement.

The UN resolution addresses large-scale pelagic drift-net fishing and its impact on marine resources, while the convention seeks to ensure the long-term conservation and sustainable use of fisheries in the North Pacific and to protect marine ecosystems.

The convention applies to North Pacific waters beyond national jurisdiction. Under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, a coastal state can claim territorial waters extending up to 13.8 miles and an exclusive economic zone up to 230 miles.

By conducting vessel boarding and inspection operations to crack down on illegal, unreported or unregulated fishing, the CCG said this mission would help maintain order in fisheries in international waters and promote the sustainable use of fishery resources.

What People Are Saying

The Pentagon commented in its Chinese military power report 2024: “The CCG annually sends two vessels on a month-long fisheries law enforcement patrol in the North Pacific. These patrols support the [People’s Republic of China]’s membership in the Convention on the Conservation and Management of High Seas Fisheries Resources in the North Pacific Ocean.”

The Convention on the Conservation and Management of High Seas Fisheries Resources in the North Pacific Ocean read: “Committed to ensuring the long-term conservation and sustainable use of fisheries resources in the North Pacific Ocean and in so doing safeguarding the marine ecosystems in which these resources occur.”

What Happens Next

It remains to be seen whether the CCG will conduct any exercises or patrols with Russia during the ongoing fishery law enforcement mission in the North Pacific.