China-Russia Cooperation Deepens

China and Russia deepened their security cooperation in the North Pacific Ocean as they conducted a joint exercise and patrol mission this week.

The Chinese-Russian coast guard exercise “Pacific Patrol-2024” was held in the Peter the Great Gulf during a visit to the city of Vladivostok in the Russian Far East by two Chinese maritime law enforcement ships, the Meishan and the Xiushan, from Monday to Friday.

The bilateral exercise focused on responding to security threats at sea and maritime search and rescue. It tested the joint maintenance of maritime security by China and Russia, according to a China Coast Guard news release on Wednesday.

Following the end of the exercise, the two Chinese coast guard ships were scheduled to begin a joint patrol in the North Pacific Ocean’s high seas on Saturday with their counterparts in the Russian Federal Security Service, the FSB. The area of joint patrol wasn’t disclosed.

This came after Beijing and Moscow held a series of joint military maneuvers in the vast region. On July 24, their nuclear-capable bombers patrolled near the coast of the United States off Alaska, where they were intercepted by American and Canadian fighter jets.

It was also announced on September 9 by the Chinese military that it held an air and naval exercise in the Sea of Japan and the Sea of Okhotsk this month with the Russian military. The Chinese joined a strategic exercise organized by the Russian side concurrently.

The Chinese vessels departed from China on September 13 for the joint mission with the Russian coast guard. The Chinese coast guard claimed this was not aimed at any third party and the purpose was to improve joint patrol organizational and coordination mechanisms.

Admiral Roman Tolok, head of the coast guard department of the FSB’s Border Service, said on Wednesday that similar joint coast guard drills would be held annually in the future, adding: “We will travel to one of China’s ports to meet with our friends and colleagues there.”

The presence of the armed Chinese coast guard vessels has caught attention as well. The Meishan and the Xiushan are 3,800-ton Type 818 coast guard vessels, with a design based on the Chinese navy Type 054 frigate, and armed with a 76 mm naval gun.

A Chinese military expert told Yuyuan Tantian, a social media account affiliated with the state-run China Media Group, that this weapon, which is fast-firing and long-range, can deter pirates, maritime criminals, and any groups that might attempt armed resistance.

The China Coast Guard has been undergoing a rapid expansion and modernization process amid maritime disputes that involved Beijing’s neighboring countries in nearby contested waters, such as the Philippines in the South China Sea and Japan in the East China Sea.

According to the Pentagon, China has the world’s largest maritime law enforcement fleet, including more than 150 regional and oceangoing patrol vessels that are over 1,000 tons. Larger ships are equipped with helicopter facilities, water cannons, and 20 mm to 76 mm guns.

The China Coast Guard is assigned to the People’s Armed Police, which is led by the Central Military Commission. It is widely used for gray-zone operations in disputed waters, employing nontraditional forces in pursuit of objectives without resorting to armed conflict.

This joint mission has implications for China’s coast guard operations. Russia has bases in the North Pacific Ocean and China can use them for resupply and docking, extending its mission duration and expanding its operational reach, according to Yuyuan Tantian.

China is able to conduct overseas long-range law enforcement missions, but the biggest challenge for that has been resupply. “Without the ability to refuel, missions can only last 30-45 days,” a Chinese maritime law enforcement expert explained to Yuyuan Tantian.

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