China plans to merge its maritime patrol units into a unified coast guard, a move that could influence the way Beijing handles territorial disputes with its neighbours, writes Kathrin Hille in Beijing.

中国计划合并海上巡逻部门，将其整合成一个统一的海警局，此举可能影响北京方面处理与邻国之间领土纠纷的方式。

The restructuring is part of a broader shake-up of government institutions under way, which aims to improve administrative efficiency and address governance problems.

这一重组是涉及面更广的政府机构改革的一部分，改革目的是提高行政效率，解决治理问题。

As well as the creation of a unified bureaucracy to police China’s near seas, the ruling Communist party will also abolish the scandal-ridden railway ministry.

除了创建一个统一的部门、由其负责中国近海的海上执法外，执政的共产党还将撤并丑闻缠身的铁道部。

China’s government apparatus has already undergone six rounds of restructuring since the party launched market reforms in 1978, but many bodies have yet to make the transition from industry fiefdoms to a separation of investment and regulatory powers.

自党在1978年走上市场化改革道路以来，中国的政府机构经历了6轮重组，但很多机构仍未完成从行业小天地到投资与监管职权分开的转型。

“The current administrative system is unfit to deal with the new situation and the new tasks in many ways,” said Ma Kai, secretary of the State Council, who presented the reform draft to the National People’s Congress, the rubber stamp parliament, yesterday.

“现行行政体制仍存在许多不适应新形势新任务要求的地方，”国务院秘书长马凯在向全国人大作关于国务院机构改革的说明时表示。人大是中国的橡皮图章议会。

“Too often [the government] messes with things that it shouldn’t interfere with. On the other hand it fails to properly deal with issues that need regulation.”

“（政府）不该管的管得过多，一些该管的又没有管好。”

Mr Ma said the reforms also targeted infighting between agencies with rival regulatory responsibilities and corruption.

马凯表示，改革还将把矛头指向腐败以及职责交叉的机构之间的内斗。

The maritime policing restructuring will see numerous departments – surveillance, fisheries, anti-smuggling, border control – merged into a new “China maritime police”.

对海上执法力量的重组将意味着，多个部门（海监、渔政、缉私、边防）合并成一个新的“中国海警局”。

Experts have long lobbied for an end to the separation of maritime policing responsibilities between different forces.

专家们长期以来呼吁结束海上执法职责分散于多个部门的局面。

While hawkish military experts hope the move will lead to a stronger stance in safeguarding China’s territorial claims, some foreign policy experts hope it could help reduce tensions because rival agencies would no longer feel compelled to compete for public attention and funds by challenging ships from neighbouring countries at sea.

鹰派的军事专家希望此举将导致中国在维护领土主张方面采取更强有力的姿态，但一些外交政策专家希望，此举可能有助于缓解紧张，因为相互竞争的部门不再感到有必要为了获得公众关注和资金而在海上向邻国的船舶发起挑战。

The planned changes come as Chinese maritime surveillance ships are engaged in a stand-off with Japan’s coast guard over the Senkaku or Diaoyu islands, an archipelago controlled by Tokyo but also claimed by Beijing.

改革方案出炉之际，中国海监船正与日本海上保安厅在尖阁诸岛(Senkaku)陷于对峙。这是由日本实际控制的一个群岛，中国也宣称拥有其主权，并称其为钓鱼岛及其附属岛屿。

Under the rail reforms, the railway ministry will be broken up into a policy and regulatory unit and a state-owned enterprise in charge of operating the railway network.

根据铁路行业改革方案，铁道部将分拆为一个政策和监管单位，以及一家负责运营铁路网的国有企业。

The break-up marks the end of what used to be a separate empire within the Chinese state. A deadly crash of two high-speed trains in July 2011, and the removal of Liu Zhijun, then railway minister, in early 2011 for alleged corruption may have prompted the changes.

此举将标志着以往的国中之国成为历史。2011年7月两个动车组发生致命的碰撞事故，以及2011年初时任铁道部长的刘志军因涉嫌腐败被解职，可能推动了这些改革。