Hundreds of fishing boats are not fishing in southern China

By Jason Fang

Topic: Territorial Disputes

A satellite image shows maritime militia vessels in the South China Sea.

Many fishing boats are in the South China Sea, but they are not fishing.

The people on the boats are not there to fish.

They are there to show China's presence.

The crew is just sitting around, eating, or playing cards.

Each boat gets a few thousand dollars per day to be there.

The US, Philippines, Australia, and Japan are doing a big military exercise.

China does not like the drill.

The boats are part of China's maritime militia, a shadowy fleet.

The militia's main job is to scare people and guard China's territory.

The South China Sea is a contested area with many countries' claims.

The South China Sea is an important trade route.

The US and Philippines are doing drills on an island near Taiwan.

Many countries are joining the Exercise Balikatan, which includes live-fire exercises.

China may use the maritime militia to watch the military exercises.

The militia can also put pressure on the Philippines.

The militia is under military command, not just a grey area.

The situation is clear, not grey.

There are civilian 'ghost ships'.

Chinese militia vessels are in the South China Sea.

The CSIS has been tracking the maritime militia for five years.

The number of militia vessels is at a record high in 2025.

There were 100 vessels in 2021, and now there are over 241 vessels.

China's professional militia can be easily identified.

The smaller vessels are like 'ghost ships' and can disappear.

Most of the vessels are operated by civilians, not professionals.

The civilians get money and bonuses from the government.

The islands are called the Spratly Islands, but China calls them the Nansha Islands.

The militia gets a 'Spratly Backbone Fishing Fleet' bonus.

Five years ago, the bonus was $3,500 per day per boat.

Now, the bonus is unknown.

The crew must spend at least 280 days at sea to get paid.

The longer they stay, the more money they make.

Dr Poling has looked at many satellite images.

The system has changed the way the boats are crewed.

Instead of skilled fishers, the boats have a small staff and sometimes family.

This shows they are not really fishing.

The boats just drop anchor and do nothing.

The militia does many jobs, including surveillance and reconnaissance.

The militia can also provide logistics support and damage infrastructure.

China did not respond to requests for comment.

There are formations in the East China Sea.

China has warned countries about the Balikatan exercises.

China says the exercises will cause division and confrontation.

China has moved thousands of fishing boats to form barriers.

The vessels showed their capabilities in the East China Sea.

In December, 2,000 vessels formed a 'snake formation' near Taiwan.

The ships held their positions, showing they were coordinated.

The mass gatherings were rehearsals for a blockade of Taiwan.

The formations are a form of 'cognitive warfare'.

Dr Huang said the formations are drills and a show of force.

The South China Sea has competing claims from many countries.

Dr Poling said there could be other explanations for the formations.

Local fishermen said the formations were due to fishing seasons.

Xi Jinping praised the maritime militia.

The militia used water cannon against Philippine vessels.

The use of civilians in maritime forces has a long history in China.

Xi Jinping called the militia a 'model unit' after a confrontation.

Xi encouraged the militia to gather intelligence and support island construction.

Former and current navy personnel are joining the maritime militia.

The influx of naval personnel has boosted the militia's professionalism.

The Philippine Coast Guard released a video of Chinese vessels using water cannon.

Dr Graham said China's navy was on some civilian vessels.

The presence of naval personnel is not hidden.

China Coast Guard ships are clearly labelled.

Other countries, like Vietnam, also use maritime militia.

Dr Graham said Vietnam's militia is smaller and not unique.

China is not the only country using civilian vessels for strategy.

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