RH DOSSIER / State-linked force

China Maritime Militia

Purpose
A state-linked maritime reserve, including professional militia and subsidized fishing vessels, used to reinforce China’s contested maritime claims alongside its coast guard and navy. [38][24]
Size and reach
AMTI counted an average of 241 vessels per day across 12 monitored reefs in 2025. This measures observed presence, not total fleet size or personnel. [37]
Why this alignment
Military organization, state-owned enterprises and subsidy programs tie these vessels to Beijing’s goals. Owners can benefit financially from deployments; ordinary Chinese fishing boats are not automatically militia. [38][24]
State nexus: China
STATE NEXUSChina
REPORTED AREAChina's maritime periphery
LATEST CITED RECORD2026-02-23
RH SOURCE REVIEW13 October 2026

01 / STATE RELATIONSHIP

Central Military Commission / defense mobilization system

The 2025 U.S. defense report describes the maritime militia as part of China's national militia, ultimately subordinate to the CMC.

U.S. Department of Defense · 2025-12-23 ↗U.S. Naval War College, China Maritime Studies Institute · 2017 ↗

02 / CONTEXT IN THE RECORD

What to know

The Naval War College describes a distinct non-PLA force that supports the PLA. The map does not treat China's civilian fishing fleet as a single military organization.

U.S. Naval War College, China Maritime Studies Institute · 2017 ↗

Where the evidence stops

This is a state reserve comparison, not an independent foreign proxy. A fishing vessel's nationality alone is insufficient to identify it as militia.

The cited dates establish the scope of this record. They do not confirm current operational capacity, complete membership or a present-day legal designation.

PUBLIC RECORD

Sources

  1. 2025 report on China's military and security developments ↗

    U.S. Department of Defense · 2025-12-23

  2. China's Third Sea Force: ties to the PLA ↗

    U.S. Naval War College, China Maritime Studies Institute · 2017

  3. Pulling Back the Curtain on China's Maritime Militia ↗

    CSIS AMTI and C4ADS · 2021-11-18

  4. All Together Now: China's Militia in 2025 ↗

    CSIS Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative · 2026-02-23 · 2025 average at 12 monitored reefs; not a fleet-wide census