U.S. ups port-security exchanges; Coast Guard leads outreach.(WORLD)

Byline: Richard Halloran, THE WASHINGTON TIMES

HONOLULU - The U.S. Coast Guard is quietly expanding exchanges with Chinese maritime-security agencies in a move that reflects the boom in seaborne trade between the two countries.

Chinese law-enforcement officers ride Coast Guard cutters patrolling North Pacific fishing areas. Chinese and American officers scrutinize port security on each other's coasts. Chinese take part in joint training drills.

Chinese, along with Canadians, Japanese, South Koreans, Russians and Americans, attend an annual North Pacific Coast Guard Forum in Alaska.

And the Coast Guard has posted a Chinese-speaking officer, …