Chinese maritime law-enforcement agencies operate and are organized in such a complicated manner that they appear embroiled in a turf war. That became apparent when Japan and China held its first intergovernmental talks on maritime affairs in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, May 15-16.
The biggest gain for the Japanese side from the meeting, a defense expert said, was that it was able to meet representatives of all of those enforcement agencies.
China has five maritime law-enforcement agencies and there is no clear-cut division of responsibilities or authority among them. The five agencies represented at the two-day meeting were (1) China Coast Guard belonging to the Public Security Ministry, (2) Maritime Safety Administration of the Transport Ministry, (3) Fisheries Law Enforcement Command (FLEC) of the Agriculture Ministry, (4) State Oceanographic Administration of the Land and Resources Ministry, and (5) General Administration of Customs.