US Coast Guard Boards Chinese Vessels

U.S. Coast Guardsmen inspected two Chinese vessels this month while screening the South Pacific for illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, according to an agency official.

The U.S. Coast Guard and accompanying police officers from Kiribati boarded the fishing boats while on a joint patrol of the Pacific island nation's vast exclusive economic zone (EEZ), a Coast Guard spokesperson told Reuters on Monday. No issues were reported, the spokesperson said.

An EEZ extends 200 nautical miles from the coastline and grants countries a sovereign right to exploit underwater resources, such as vital fish stocks, within its limits. But they can be difficult to enforce for small nations like Kiribati, which had a population of just over 130,000, according to United Nations figures.

The South Pacific has become one of the many subregions in which the geostrategic rivalry between China and the United States has been laid bare in recent years, with the former expanding its influence deep into the global south in countries where the United States once enjoyed historical influence.

The spokesperson for U.S. Coast Guard forces in Guam told Reuters that the pair of China -flagged vessels were boarded this month while coast guardsmen and Kiribati officers patrolled the host nation's 1.35-million square mile EEZ from February 11-16.

The spokesperson said the inspection was "part of routine maritime law enforcement activities" to ensure compliance with Kiribati's EEZ regulations.

Beijing has yet to acknowledge the incident, and it was unclear whether its representatives were notified after the fact.

The Coast Guard sector for Micronesia and Guam did not immediately respond to a written request for comment from Newsweek . China's Foreign Ministry did not answer phone calls seeking comment.

Kiribati, which dealt a blow to American interests in 2019 by switching diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing, has hosted uniformed Chinese police officers since last year as part of an ongoing training program, the country's acting police commissioner, Eeri Aritiera, told Reuters last week.

The unannounced deal, which so far has not resulted in a Chinese police station on any of Kiribati's many atolls, appeared to be part of Beijing's long-term push to increase its security presence in the region.

The U.S. counts Kiribati as a close neighbor —it is the Pacific Island nation nearest to Hawaii—and marks 44 years of formal relations this year.

Washington announced plans last year to open an embassy in Kiribati's capital, Tarawa, to rival Beijing's complex there.

Policing agreements remain a sensitive topic for both governments, however. Last week, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said she was unaware of the matter when asked at a regular press conference in Beijing.

"As a principle, China always engages in cooperation with relevant countries on the basis of equality, mutual respect, mutual benefit, openness and inclusiveness," Mao said.