The Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative, a politically motivated propaganda tool of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a United States think tank, released its annual survey report titled "All Together Now: China's Militia in 2025" on Feb 23. The report claims that in 2025, China deployed a record number of "maritime militia" vessels in the disputed waters of the South China Sea, averaging 241 vessels per day, the highest level since AMTI began monitoring. It argues that the deployment of "militia vessels" was mainly concentrated in Meiji Jiao and Niu'e Jiao, while the number of Chinese vessels near Huangyan Dao, Ren'ai Jiao and Xianbin Jiao decreased, reflecting a "strategic adjustment" by China.

The report is neither based on logic nor on facts. It deceptively defines fishing vessels as "militia boats" to distort the facts. Vague definitions are used to smear fishing vessels in the South China Sea as "maritime militia", a malicious politicization of the legitimate fishing activities of Chinese fishermen. The islands and reefs of the South China Sea have been traditional fishing grounds and safe havens for Chinese fishermen since ancient times. For instance, the Niu'e Jiao reef, which is emphasized in the report, is located in the Nansha Islands, surrounded by abundant fishery resources, and serves as a natural barrier for fishermen during storms. Chinese fishermen have been fishing, resting and resupplying there for centuries.

The report also misinterprets normal fishing activities, portraying them as a "historic high" deployment. In reality, fishing vessels operate entirely in accordance with the natural rhythms of fisheries. The US think tank ignores this basic fact, assigning special political significance to China's fishing activities and categorically describing these commercial fishing activities as "not for the purpose of fisheries production". This is clearly a biased view that essentially seeks to bolster the "China threat" theory.

The claim also selectively ignores China's strict implementation of the summer fishing moratorium. Every year, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs imposes a moratorium on fishing in the South China Sea north of the 12 degrees north latitude (including the Beibu Gulf) from 12:00 hours on May 1 to 12:00 hours on Aug 16. During this period, except for fishing with angling gear and special fishing permits, all fishing vessels, including those of South China Sea fishermen, are strictly prohibited from going to sea for fishing. The moratorium is evidence of China's independent fulfillment of its obligations as a coastal state and its protection of marine resources.

After the moratorium ends on Aug 16, tens of thousands of fishing vessels go out to sea for fishing. Moreover, due to factors such as fish migration, weather conditions and the convenience of resupply, the distribution of Chinese fishing vessels among various islands and reefs changes accordingly. The AMTI report glosses over the "zeroing out" of fishing vessel activity near Yongshu Jiao, while making a big deal of the increased numbers at Meiji Jiao and Niu'e Jiao. This manipulation is completely detached from the laws of fishing. The facts have been taken out of context to portray fishermen "racing for a living" as so-called "military expansion".

The US report also misinterprets the "zeroing out" of fishing vessel activity near Yongshu Jiao and the increase in China Coast Guard patrols in places like Huangyan Dao as a "strategic adjustment". In fact, this change precisely reflects the increasing maturity of China's maritime rights protection and law enforcement system.

With the fifth anniversary of the implementation of China's Coast Guard Law, the CCG's law enforcement capabilities have significantly improved. In a recent interview with the Global Times, Liu Dejun, spokesperson for the CCG, stated that over the past five years, the CCG has deployed 550,000 vessel-trips to conduct missions in the territorial waters of Huangyan Dao and surrounding areas, as well as the Nansha Islands (including Ren'ai Jiao and Xianbin Jiao), and lawfully tracked, monitored and expelled foreign vessels that harassed them. The increase in the number of patrol vessels is a result of the CCG's normal law enforcement efforts rather than the so-called "strategic adjustment" implied by the US think tank.

It is clear that the US think tank report is not an objective and scientific assessment, but a tool of political manipulation to serve the Western narrative.

By confusing concepts and presupposing positions, it portrays the legitimate fishing operations of Chinese fishermen in their traditional fishing grounds in the South China Sea as a so-called "military deployment", selectively ignoring the continuous efforts and contributions of China and other countries in fishing governance and marine resource conservation, and creating conditions for its own frequent provocations in the South China Sea.

There is no doubt that China has indisputable sovereignty and related rights over islands in the South China Sea and their adjacent waters.

Both fishing activities and CCG patrols are normal activities within sovereign territory. Labeling and militarizing them is detrimental to stability in the South China Sea and will not help regional countries resolve differences through dialogue and consultation.

Luo Zhen is a lecturer at the College of Marine Living Resource Sciences and Management, Shanghai Ocean University; Lyu Ming is the director of the Office of the Marine Strategy Think Tank Research Center and professor, College of Marine Living Resource Sciences and Management at the same university.

The views don't necessarily reflect those of China Daily.

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