China’s Gray Zone Operations in the South China Sea; Manipulating Weaknesses

Abstract

China’s strategy in the South China Sea relies on military trained fishermen, large law enforcement vessels, and coast guard vessels called “white hulls” to be distinguished from the “gray hulls” of the navy. White hulls are China’s maritime militia which harasses the ASEAN claimants, Vietnam, the Philippines, and Malaysia. In this way China is manipulating weakness as the ASEAN claimants cannot match its white hull strength. China’s pursuit of supremacy and marine resources in the South China Sea has made it more aggressive, as it operates in a dubious conceptual space between peace and war, called gray zone operations. These tactics involve coercive actions below a threshold avoiding a conventional military response. Gray zone operations are cost-effective and easy to deploy for China to enforce its dubious claims in the South China Sea. These operations mask their true nature since they are directed by military commanders under the Central Military Commission, They show a civilian front but they have military backing. Law enforcement vessels in gray zone operations are being used as instruments of foreign policy. There should be a collective and global effort to meet China’s gray zone operations in the South China Sea.KeywordsChinaGray zone operationsMaritime militiaWhite hullsGray hullsASEAN