A report in the Diplomat (January 30) claimed that the China Coast Guard (CCG) has shown a lot of initiative in the new year, partly due to its incorporation into the People’s Armed Police Force (PAP) last year and partly associated with its new commander, Wang Zhongcai. Following the military reforms launched in 2016, the Provincial military districts and militia forces are now governed by the National Defense Mobilization Department of the Central Military Commission (CMC).  As a result, PLAN Rear Admirals Wang Bin and Wang Shouxin were appointed in 2018 as Commanders of the Fujian and Guangdong Military Districts, respectively. These two flag officers with maritime experience would be able to manage the maritime militias in the two provinces more effectively than before. Toward the end of 2018, quite a lot of high-ranking officers in the PLA and the police force changed positions. In December 2018, PLAN Real Admiral Wang Zhongcai was appointed as the first Commander of the CCG. The CCG commander position is a Corps Commander-grade Rear Admiral/Major General position, representing subordination to a naval fleet or theater command. It suggests the PLA Navy has taken fiirmer control of the CCG. As a law enforcement agency, the CCG was formerly guided by the MPS and its members had to train at the Public Security Maritime Police Academy in Ningbo, Zhejiang province. Because of the policy change, the academy was renamed China Maritime Police Academy. In March 2018, the CCG was incorporated into the PAP, and thus ultimately put under the command of the CMC. 

(Comment: Rear Admiral Wang Zhongcai, now Commander of the China Coast Guard is a PLA Navy officer. He was born in 1963 and was admitted into an Aviation Captain Training Class in 1987.  He first served with the Naval Aviation branch before spending most of his time in the Navy commanding surface ships. He served mainly in the East Sea Fleet, starting from 2000. Rear Admiral Wang Zhongcai was appointed Commander of the 26th Escort Task Group of the PLAN to the Gulf of Aden in 2017. He was promoted to the rank of Rear Admiral in the middle of 2017. He also had the experience of interacting with foreign service members in military exchanges and exercises. Wang Zhongcai’s service record indicates that he is one of the officers selected by the PLAN for further cultivation as a future leader.)