China has reportedly quietly demonstrated a new and unsettling level of maritime coordination by mobilizing thousands of fishing boats into massive, wall-like formations stretching more than 200 miles, a move experts say could give Beijing new tools to assert control in contested waters.
The unusual maneuvers unfolded largely out of public view until an analysis of ship-tracking data, first reported by The New York Times, revealed their scale and sophistication. In two separate operations conducted just weeks apart, Chinese fishing vessels abandoned normal activity and assembled into dense, highly organized formations in the East China Sea.
In the most recent operation, roughly 1,400 Chinese boats abruptly left their home ports or stopped fishing and converged in the East China Sea. By Jan. 11, the vessels had arranged themselves into a massive rectangular formation extending more than 200 miles. The density of the flotilla was so great that commercial cargo ships appeared to reroute around it or weave through narrow gaps, according to ship-tracking data.
Maritime and military analysts said the maneuver points to a strengthening of China’s maritime militia, a force made up of civilian fishing boats that are trained to support military objectives. The exercise demonstrated Beijing’s ability to rapidly assemble large numbers of civilian vessels in disputed waters, a capability that could complicate the operations of rival navies.
The January operation followed a similar event on Christmas Day, when approximately 2,000 fishing boats formed two long, parallel lines in the same region. Each line stretched roughly 290 miles, creating a reverse L-shaped formation visible through ship-position data. Analysts said the repetition of such large-scale gatherings in the same waters suggests deliberate coordination rather than coincidence.
The formations were first flagged by Jason Wang, chief operating officer of ingeniSPACE, and later independently confirmed using data from Starboard Maritime Intelligence. Wang said the sheer size and discipline of the formations stood out, noting that while large clusters of Chinese boats are not uncommon, he had never observed anything of this scale or structure.
Experts warn that in a future conflict or crisis, such as a confrontation over Taiwan, China could mobilize tens of thousands of civilian vessels to clog sea lanes and disrupt military and supply movements. While the fishing boats themselves would be too small to enforce a traditional blockade, they could still pose serious challenges.
Lonnie Henley, a former U.S. intelligence officer, said the vessels could obstruct the movement of American warships. Thomas Shugart, a former U.S. naval officer now with the Center for a New American Security, added that swarms of small boats could act as decoys, overwhelming radar and drone sensors with sheer numbers.
Analysts tracking the activity said the boats maintained steady positions instead of following typical fishing patterns, reinforcing the assessment that the operation was not commercial in nature. Both Wang and Starboard analyst Mark Douglas said the navigation data appeared genuine and not manipulated.
Researchers at the Center for Strategic and International Studies confirmed observing the same formations. Gregory Poling, director of the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative at CSIS, said he could not identify any explanation for the activity that was not state-directed. He suggested the operation was likely an exercise to test how civilian vessels would perform if mobilized en masse during a future contingency, potentially in support of pressure tactics or a maritime “quarantine” around Taiwan.
The maneuvers took place near some of the world’s busiest shipping lanes branching out from Shanghai, waterways critical to global trade and Chinese exports to the United States. These are precisely the maritime arteries Beijing would seek to control in a clash with the U.S. or its regional allies.
The activity followed closely after Chinese military exercises around Taiwan and comes amid tensions with Japan over Tokyo’s support for the island. While China has not publicly commented, analysts say the tightly coordinated flotillas signal a growing ability to command and control large numbers of civilian vessels, marking a notable evolution in Beijing’s maritime militia strategy.
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