On the coattails of another restructuring that placed China’s People Armed Police Force and its 1.5 million employees under the structure of the People’s Liberation Army, the China Coast Guard has been restructured within the Central Military Commission. Experts predict that the integration will follow be patterned similarly to the U.S. Coast Guard’s position in the U.S. Military, where it would fall under the command structure of the Pentagon and the Navy in wartime. The restructuring highlights the efforts being made to unite all armed law-enforcement agencies into a single, simplified hierarchy. Country’s involved in maritime disputes with China, however, see the restructuring as part of a broader militarization that may further aggravate the conflict.
Source: China’s coast guard to be absorbed into PLA | Asia Times
