2016年CRI China Promotes S. China Sea Law Enforcement Near Sansha（在线收听）

Established under the island province of Hainan, the city of Sansha was formally established 4-years ago.

It's situated southeast of the province's main island. 

Covering the Xisha, Zhongsha and Nansha islands as well as the surrounding waters, the city is now the administrative center for Chinese territories in the South China Sea. 

Sansha is also the main base for China's maritime law enforcement vessels in the South China Sea.

Xiang Guoxiang, the captain of Sansha's largest law enforcement vessel, says they receive support from the Coast Guard and Militia in expelling foreign fishing vessels from the waters claimed by China. 

"The most effective means of law enforcement is the frequent patrols that push illegal foreign fishing boats away. We can feel the significance of our mission." 

The South China Sea is a vast area, thus making it difficult for maritime law enforcement to manage. 

Sansha's jurisdiction covers some two million square kilometers of water. 

More than 2-thousand Chinese fishermen make their living in the region, and are scattered across numerous islands. 

Many of those islands can only be reached by boat.

Transportation is still the weakest link between islands in the South China Sea, making law enforcement very difficult. 

Sansha has a three-tier law enforcement mechanism. 

The militias are responsible for finding and reporting foreign infringement, while civil law enforcement ships patrol the waters, receiving support from the coast guard. 

On Jinqing Island, the headquarters of the Yongle Islands, fishermen there say having Chinese law enforcement vessels in the area is critical.

"I have friends who had been arrested and detained by the Philippines' government while fishing. Without active law enforcement, foreign vessels will come here and push us away."

Sansha City Mayor Xiao Jie spends most of his time visiting islands in his jurisdiction. 

He says he's found that plants on Jinqing Island are getting greener, thanks to the implementation of stronger environmental protection policies. 

"Law enforcement means a combination of efforts to improve basic infrastructure, protecting the islands' eco-system, and ensuring the basic needs of fishermen, as well as disaster management, and search and rescue."

The mayor says he believes effective law enforcement is critical to maintaining safety and the overall health of the South China Sea.