Photo from http://defence-blog.com/news/photos-charge-of-the-10000-ton-china-coast-guard-cutter.html

Homeland Security Today is reporting that the Chinese Coast Guard has, you might say, “changed departments.”

At the annual National People’s Congress last week, delegates voted to put the China Coast Guard under the People’s Armed Police Force. Since January, this military police division has answered directly to the Central Military Commission, a body chaired by President Xi Jinping. According to the language authorizing the reorganization, the move is required “to fully implement the [Chinese Communist] Party’s absolute leadership over the PLA and other armed forces.”

This probably constitutes a recognition of the usefulness of the China Coast Guard in international affairs. It may also indicate a desire for closer cooperation with China’s armed forces.