The Chinese Coast Guard has been involved in a majority of the naval clashes in the disputed South China Sea since 2010, a survey conducted by a Washington-based research agency showed.

Bonnie Glaser, a security expert at Washington's Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), told Reuters that China's increasing assertiveness in the South China Sea heightens the risk of destabilizing the region with the Chinese Coast Guard getting involved in a majority of naval clashes.

Like Us on Facebook

The research agency is involved in monitoring maritime law enforcement incidents in the strategic waterway.

Naval conflict

"While the risks of full-blown naval conflict dominates strategic fears over the disputed waterway, the danger of incidents involving coast guards should not be underestimated," said Glaser,

Based on the report by the research think tank, which was published on their website on Wednesday,  the Chinese Coast Guard was involved in 30 incidents out of 45 recorded naval clashes and standoffs in the disputed sea since 2010.

The CSIS researchers said that while the incidents involved conflicts between states, the Chinese Coast Guard's actions should not be taken lightly.

"The evidence is clear that there is a pattern of behavior from China that is contrary to what law enforcement usually involves," Glaser told Reuters.

Violence

Glaser said based on their research, coast guards from smaller countries tend to employ violent tactics such as ramming boats and bullying in a bid to protect their maritime interests in the South China Sea.

"We're seeing bullying, harassment, and ramming of vessels from countries whose coast guard and fishing vessels are much smaller, often to assert sovereignty throughout the South China Sea," Glaser pointed out.

Part of the research included the violent standoff between China and the Philippines at the Scarborough Shoal in 2012 which led to China's eventual seizing of the shoal as well as the 2014 standoff between China and Hanoi.

Scarborough Shoal

This week, a swarm of Chinese coast guard ships and six vessels have been stationed near the waters of the Philippine-claimed Scarborough Shoal prompting Manila to file a diplomatic protest with Chinese Ambassador Zhao Jinhua.

Zhao said there were no boats near the disputed shoal, but new photos taken by the Philippine Navy of the area showed that aside from Chinese ships, barges and dredges were also in the disputed maritime territory. The Philippine defense ministry said that China plans to build an artificial island on the contested shoal.

According to the recent international tribunal ruling, the Chinese-controlled Scarborough Shoal does not belong to any country and that the area is the traditional fishing ground of Chinese, Filipino, and Vietnamese fishermen.

Philippine defense officials are set to re-file a diplomatic protest with Zhao using the photos in their possession to support their claim.

TagsChinese Coast Guard, Center for Strategic and International Studies, South China Sea, Scarborough Shoal, Philippines, china