Photo: Screenshot from the video "Guarding the Sea"

On the occasion of the fifth anniversary of the implementation of China's Coast Guard Law, the China Coast Guard (CCG) released two promotional videos, Guarding the Sea and Law Enforcement at Sea, on February 1.

Law Enforcement at Sea, a promotional video showcasing the CCG's mandate  to safeguard maritime sovereignty and lawfully perform its duties of protecting the seas and borders, features extensive footage highlighting recent operations including maritime rights protection, crime-fighting and rescue missions. 

Global Times reporters noted that the video not only contains visual evidence of CCG law enforcement operations in the South China Sea in recent years, but also publicly releases on-site footage of patrols around the Diaoyu Dao for the first time.

At a maritime law enforcement briefing held by the CCG on January 30, Director Zhang Jianming said that over the past five years, the CCG has conducted 134 patrols in the territorial waters of Diaoyu Dao. In 2025, patrols around the island lasted for 357 days. This figure is one day higher than the 356 days previously claimed by the Japanese side, which alleged that it had sighted "CCG vessels near the Diaoyu Islands" on that number of days.

Official information released by the CCG shows that in recent years it has consistently issued regular briefings on its patrols around Diaoyu Dao. After examining public disclosures, the Global Times found that in 2025, CCG released 19 announcements regarding patrols and rights-protection law enforcement operations around the island, with at least one update issued every month confirming patrols within the territorial waters.

This marks the first time that on-site footage of such patrols has been made public. In the video, a CCG officer appears on screen together with Diaoyu Dao. Though the clip is brief, it clearly captures the island's lush vegetation and scenic landscape. The bright national flag patch on the officer's arm stands out vividly against the backdrop of the sea and sky. CCG vessels 1306, 2303, and 2305, which frequently participated in patrols around Diaoyu Dao in recent years, also appear in the footage.

"The released footage shows that CCG vessels were operating very close to Diaoyu Dao, undoubtedly within its territorial waters," Yang Xiao, a maritime issues expert at China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, told the Global Times on Monday. This reflects a long-standing pattern of normalized, sustained and stable patrols by the CCG within Diaoyu Dao's territorial waters .

Marking the fifth anniversary of the implementation of China's Coast Guard Law, the CCG has responded with transparency to external hype by proactively releasing information about its patrol and law enforcement operations around Diaoyu Dao. This demonstrates both confidence and determination in carrying out maritime rights protection in accordance with the law, Yang said.


According to China's Coast Guard Law, CCG patrols and law enforcement operations around Diaoyu Dao constitute the proper performance of its duties and responsibilities, fully in line with the law and regulations, Yang said.

In addition to the Diaoyu Dao footage, the video also releases multiple scenes of CCG operations in the South China Sea. A significant portion is devoted to the June 17, 2024 incident, in which the CCG handled an intrusion by Philippine military personnel near China's Ren'ai Jiao.

During the operation, CCG officers remained fearless despite being splashed with unknown liquids and confronted by armed personnel. Guided by the firm conviction  that "bravery prevails when foes meet on a narrow path," they confronted the trespassing personnel head-on, seized weapons and ammunition on spot, and successfully towed the foreign vessel away from the area in just six minutes,.

"This nearly four-minute video brings together the highlight moments of CCG maritime rights protection and law enforcement operations in recent years," Yang said. "In addition to countering the malicious intrusion and forced resupply attempts by Philippine military personnel at Ren'ai Jiao, it also includes footage of CCG flotillas maintaining regular control over Huangyan Dao and officers boarding Tiexian Jiao."

These operations took place against the backdrop of external forces stirring up trouble in disputed areas of the South China Sea and attempting to contain China via maritime pressure, Yang added. 

"In recent years, some neighboring countries have intensified provocations in disputed areas, combining substantive infringements carried out through violent means with cognitive warfare and other tactics, thereby continuously escalating regional tensions," Yang said. 

Against such a complex backdrop, the CCG has responded in a flexible and situation-appropriate manner, firmly countering all provocations in accordance with the law. It has not only safeguard every inch of maritime territory, but has also effectively managed the maritime situation — upholding national sovereignty, maintaining regional and peace, he said.

Photo: Screenshot from the video provided by CCG