Nicholas Tse stars in and choreographs the fights of “Customs Frontline,” a big budget Chinese shoot-em-up that features arms smuggling, a submarine, air raids and an African war fought over fishing rights.

The only people who stand in the way of these escalating hostilities are the intrepid and heroic customs cops of Hong Kong, chasing down unflagged merchant ships, intercepting weapons shipments and hunting for the elusive Westernized Asian supervillain, Dr. Raw.

The fights are impressive, the set pieces — involving that sub for sale, a V-22 Osprey used to grab a coveted navigation device, a ship crashing into seaside condos and chases, carjackings and running gun battles, have a James Bond movie sheen, as well as plot points borrowed from Bond and a lot of other generic action pics.

But in between the action beats, director Herman Yau’s (“Moscow Mission,” the “Shock Wave” movies) gives us a sluggish soap opera of intrigues, “a traitor in Hong Kong Customs,” illness, office romances and customs cop funerals. It’s enough to make one question how and why this picture was financed.

Tse, a sometime singer, often a supporting player and too-often cast in middling thrillers (“Raging Fire”), is Chow Ching-lai, a loyal “respect the uniform” HK Customs superstar.

Sure, he’s never gotten over the colleague (Michelle Wai) who ditched him. But when he and his customs boat team run up on a grounded, unflagged freighter in the vast Hong Kong anchorage, washed up by a storm, everybody stands aside as Lai dives into a racing inflatable to bring the lone survivor of that arms smuggling vessel to heel. His fellow officers literally (and comically) gawk at his bravado all the way through the long-fight with the murderous, pistol-packing young skipper of the rogue vessel.

With war errupting in East Africa between two fictional states, arms theft (out of Thailand) and arms smuggling are a new priority of the Customs crew. Lai’s mercurial, highly-strung boss Nam (Jacky Cheung) is adamant they interdict and arrest. Nam’s angling for a promotion, anything to please his new lady love (Karena Lam), who outranks him in the department. Oh, and he’s sick.

Dr. Raw (Amanda Strang) and her minions — chiefly Leo (Brahim Chab) — stage brazen heists right from Customs’ dangerous materials storage facility (they have access to an American Osprey), show their wares at Persian Gulf arms shows and supply both sides in the African war.

A Thai Interpol agent (Cya Liu) joins Lai undercover as they pose as reporters in Africa — “NO one’s trustworthy in a war zone!” — and talk the hulking strongman (Solomon Cutler) in charge of one of the warring states into revealing his blood diamonds and ivory for arms deals with Dr. Raw.

“Traitor” in the ranks, shady Hong Kong shipping interests, car-jackings and “suicides” meant to hide the truth, or point to it, further muddy the plot.

There isn’t a stand-out performance in this Chinese-and-English language production, which considering all the troubled, dating-each-other customs cops, the African blowhard and Parisian dragon lady, is both a surprise and a disappointment.

As Tse is more an adequate action lead than a charismatic star presence, and hasn’t anchored a hit, near as I can tell from his resume, how’d this picture get financing?

China has a LOT of interest in Africa, especially East Africa. The film’s opening scene is of the beginning of that fishing war. Two African nations come to blows over fishing rights. There are no real causes of fishing squabbles, the huge Asian (Chinese, Korean, etc.) floating fish factories vacuuming up vast catches, impoverishing the locals. Here, it’s those violent Africans who can’t work such matters out.

The arms that supply this war are stolen from Western-backed Thailand, and the smugglers, smuggling ship crews and armed mercenaries are all of European ancestry.

The Chinese? Why, they’re fighting for peace, justice and free trade.

Yes, Western and Indian and Japanense and Korean films often fall in line with their national image, points-of-view and foreign policy. But whatever this noisy, clunky dog cost, I hope getting that People’s Republican “We’re above it all and we’re your FRIENDS” message out was worth it.

Rating: unrated, violence, a high body count

Cast: Nicholas Tse, Jacky Cheung, Karena Lam, Yase (Cya) Liu, Brahim Chab, Amanda Strang and Francis Ng

Credits: Directed by Herman Yau, scripted by Erica Li. A Well Go USA release.

Running time: 1:55