China’s maritime militia and deep-water fishing boats pose a direct threat to the security of the United States and its allies in the Pacific. Photo courtesy of the U.S. Naval Institute. China possesses the world’s largest fishing fleet, and its vast flotilla serves a dual purpose of commercial activity and carrying out the political objectives of the Chinese Communist Party. At the center of this system is the People’s Armed Forces Maritime Militia (PAFMM), a force that operates behind a civilian facade while carrying out intelligence collection, reconnaissance, coercive presence missions, and direct support to naval operations. The militia functions as an auxiliary arm of the PLA Navy and the China Coast Guard but remains legally categorized as a civilian fleet. This ambiguity enables Beijing…
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