Work to make a sea change

China and Japan must increase communication and establish coordination to prevent untoward incidents in East China Sea

A State security committee will be set up to improve systems and strategies to ensure national security, according to the Decisions on Major Issues Concerning Comprehensively Deepening Reforms, issued by the Third Plenum of the 18th Communist Party of China Central Committee in November. The plenum document also calls for bolstering maritime law enforcement in China's territorial waters, including around islands.

National security includes maritime security, which has a direct bearing on China's strategy of becoming a sea power through peaceful development. Given the increase in sea and air safety related problems in the East China Sea, China must expedite efforts to secure its maritime territory, exercise its territorial rights in the East China Sea, especially in the waters surrounding the Diaoyu Islands, and strengthen the management and mechanism of maritime affairs to safeguard national security and protect its overall maritime rights and interests.