Scholars from the China Academy of Naval Studies and the School of Marine Science and Technology of Northwestern Polytechnic University said in a report that low-cost, advanced unmanned systems are `necessary to
The report `Research on unmanned equipment to protect maritime rights` was published in the Strategic Research Journal of the Chinese Academy of Engineering at the end of 2020, but was only made public this week.
China’s WJ-700 jet armed drone during a test.
China makes unreasonable claims to almost the entire area of the East Sea, and at the same time participates in the dispute over the Senkaku/Diaoyu island group in the East China Sea with Japan.
A report by Chinese scholars admits that the country `does not have enough coast guard ships and aircraft to protect and patrol a large area`, but unmanned systems can fill this gap.
`Smart unmanned devices can perform a variety of tasks with unique advantages that manned vehicles do not possess. They are showing potential to participate in daily law enforcement activities.`
Chinese scholars propose to create systems similar to the US ScanEagle unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) with small size, high durability and low-altitude operation, and the Wave Glider unmanned surface vehicle of the US.
China is one of the world’s leading countries in developing unmanned vehicles, especially civil and military UAVs that are widely used for logistics, delivery, reconnaissance and surveillance.
China’s HSU-001 unmanned submersible during the military parade in Beijing, October 2019.
Timothy Heath, a security expert at the RAND analyst firm, warned that increased use of UAVs could `significantly increase the potential for harassment and pressure on parties to disputes with China`.
Malcolm Davis, a strategy and defense expert at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, warned that China would face a strong reaction if it promoted the use of unmanned systems in disputed waters.
`China’s actions in the region will be challenged by other countries,` Davis said, adding that Australia, the US and Japan have also deployed naval and air forces through the East Sea to assert their rights.
