China's New Law Enables Its 'Little Blue Men' To Hide In the Disputed Waters

Thousands of Chinese maritime militia vessels can now go off the radar on the disputed waters, including the South China Sea, thanks to a new Chinese law that allows them to do so.

A large number of such militia vessels supported and financed by the Chinese government, now throw off the traditional maritime tracking systems, causing huge concerns in maritime security and intelligence, reported The Drive.

A report by Unseen Labs, a firm that specializes in tracking and identifying radiofrequency transmissions from space, said most ships are not visible from traditional surveillance systems once they get close to Chinese shores. It added that more than 60 percent of ships in the area have disappeared from the automatic identification system or AIS.

Besides a vessel's identity and type, AIS, the global tracking system, also helps identify its position, course, speed, navigational status and other safety and positioning-related information. The International Maritime Organization allows nations to have their own AIS laws and in the United States, all commercial self-propelled fishing vessels of 65 feet or more in length must broadcast an AIS signal at all times.

But, China's maritime militia vessels are no ordinary ships. Though these "little blue men" ostensibly engage in commercial fishing, analysts believe they are a wing of the Chinese military and are used in the country's "grey zone tactic" to assert its predominance in the disputed waters. Naturally, the inability to track these ships in the South and the East China Sea is a matter of concern for the littoral countries and the U.S alike.

According to the Unseen Labs report, during an eight-day period, the vast majority of ships operating in the East China Sea were not broadcasting an AIS signal. "As a result, most ships are not visible from traditional surveillance systems once they get close to Chinese shores. In this new context, the AIS system doesn’t provide an accurate picture of traffic at sea," the report added.

It was on Nov. 1, 2021, that China passed a new law that enabled the vessels to drop the use of AIS. Ever since the law came to force, there was over a 45 percent fall in tracking data, reports Reuters.

Not only does the new law add to the risk of collisions, but the insufficient AIS data also makes it tough for logistics companies to monitor shipments.

Besides, there is the risk of Chinese maritime militia ships harassing and dissuading other vessels to stop other nations from operating in the resource-rich South China Sea, East China Sea and Taiwan Strait.

Last year, Chinese maritime militia vessels had ventured into the Philippines' exclusive economic zone in the South China Sea, triggering tensions between both countries. The AIS issue also is preventing countries like the U.S. from preventing the Chinese bid to militarize artificial islands in the disputed waters.