Restructured China Coast Guard takes to the high seas

China's top oceanic administration formally went into operation Monday after months of restructuring, reported the China Ocean News.

A new name board of China Coast Guard was officially put outside its headquarters in Beijing on Monday, while the former State Oceanic Administration's name remains.

The restructured body integrates the functions of China Marine Surveillance, the coast guard forces under the Ministry of Public Security, the fisheries law enforcement command with the Ministry of Agriculture and maritime anti-smuggling police of the General Administration of Customs.

The move was made as part of the Chinese government's efforts to restructure its cabinet earlier this year, along with five other departments, to enhance maritime law enforcement and strengthen protection and use of its oceanic resources.

The new administration will be supervised by the Ministry of Land and Resources, and will implement maritime law enforcement and safeguard the country's sovereignty over territorial waters within the jurisdiction of the China Coast Guard.

The new administration's duty on the integrated marine management and the maritime law enforcement will be strengthened, according to a circular issued by the State Council on June 9.

Three maritime police branches, 11 police corps and its detachments across China's coastal provincial-level regions will be set to perform law enforcement, reads the circular.

"By integrating five maritime divisions, it is conducive to the unity of command, and can help avoid overlaps," Yang Mian, a professor of international relations at the Communication University of China, told the Global Times.

"In addition, the new agency will also make our law enforcement more powerful. Except for China Marine Surveillance, those four administrative divisions that were not allowed to be equipped with weapons can be armed now," Yang said, adding that will be helpful to turn the situation around when they face other countries' maritime armed forces.