China unveiled a plan March 10 to reorganize its maritime law enforcement agencies to reduce redundancy, improve response time, strengthen communications and bolster overall command and control mechanisms. China uses its agencies to press its territorial claims in the South and East China seas. Of China's neighbors, only Japan has a maritime law enforcement agency capable of matching the Chinese. Both countries are making considerable efforts to maintain an edge over their claims to the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands. Tokyo has used its powerful coast guard to press its case. It plans to set up a new 600-member coast guard unit equipped with 12 patrol ships for exclusive deployment in missions around the disputed islands, and it is also considering converting retired navy vessels into coast guard patrol ships — something Beijing has been known to do. China's maritime agencies and Japan's coast guard are largely unarmed, so using them in the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands dispute diminishes the likelihood of a military engagement. Still, as the waters around the islands become more crowded, a miscalculation or accident becomes more likely.
