In November China published a draft law that would empower the coastguard to demolish other countries’ structures built on Chinese-claimed reefs, and to board and expel foreign vessels. In some circumstances it could even fire on hostile ships. Many of the Chinese coastguard’s ships now dwarf the largest ships in the region,  with the most capable ones being “essentially navy ships painted white”, minus the missiles, says Dr Olli Suorsa at RSIS.  China has reacted huffily to other countries’ concerns about the draft coastguard law. Most of the bill’s provisions match those of laws elsewhere and accord with international norms, says Dr Collin Koh of RSIS, who added that the Chinese coastguard has been complaining for years that it needs such a law to give it more clout in its dealings with rival forces in the South China Sea.