China somehow doesn’t publish the names of its maritime militia vessels. This would undermine the militia’s fundamental advantages of secrecy and deniability. It is also uncommon for Chinese publications to identify particular vessels’ militia connections. Analysts are using clues to determine if a ship is probable to be China’s maritime militia vessel or not.
Since 2014, China has constructed dozens of massive Spratly fishing boats, dubbed the “Spratly backbone fleet.” As we have stated in War on the Rocks, the majority, if not all, of these boats are associated with the marine militia. This idea…

Rutter, a Canadian digital startup, is redefining radar by providing seafarers with unique access to analytics about their environment. Rutter’s radar systems can detect glaciers in the water, detect patterns in tides and swells, and detect small boats despite background noise, thanks to powerful algorithms and signal processing.
Rutter’s most recent innovation is a safety surveillance system that predicts waves and their impacts on-deck activities. The WaveSignalTM sigma S6 technology anticipates calm operating intervals on a three-minute timeframe and exhibits a signal light on deck indicating halt (red) or go (green…

Western countries have been suspicious of China’s outburst of development finance in Africa, even urging African nations to reject Chinese funding. With massive infrastructure investment gaps to fill, Africa has had no choice but to seek a liberal development sponsor for its programs. Furthermore, most African governments often avoid the World Bank and IMF, which have strict compliance requirements for their lending facilities.
The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has put China on a collision course with other world superpowers in the international arena. Can Western nations, however, band together to compete with the BRI?
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