South-east Asia coastguard growth could see friction

Subject

Development of South-east Asian coastguards and their geopolitical implications.

Significance

Senior coastguard officers from Australia, Japan, the Philippines and the United States will meet later this year to discuss cooperation and capacity-building -- and the assertive actions of China's coastguard in littoral waters. With external partners' support, South-east Asian states are developing their coastguards to fight crime and assert maritime territorial claims.

Impacts

• Fishing activities will probably trigger spats between South-east Asian and China's coastguards.
• Gradually, inter-operability between South-east Asian coastguards will expand.
• Tokyo and Washington will use coastguards to deepen ties with South-east Asian countries.
• There could be frictions between Indonesia's and Malaysia's coastguards over waters around Ambalat.