Chinese Navy to fight Somali pirates
China: China is making preparations to deploy warships in the Gulf of
Aden and waters off the Somali coast to fight rampant pirates, after a
Chinese ship escaped pirate hijack in the region.
"We are making preparations and arrangements to deploy naval ships to
the Gulf of Aden for escorting operations," the foreign ministry said on
its website Thursday.
"We will make a formal announcement when we are ready," the ministry
said, without giving any further details. However, military sources said
that it will be the first time for Chinese navy to carry out escorting
missions outside Chinese waters, and this mission is in line with
related resolutions of the United Nations on combating pirates off the
Somali coast.
The United States, NATO and other countries have already sent naval
forces to ply this area.
The Global Times newspaper, affiliated to the People's Daily, cited
anonymous maritime officials as saying that China would send a fleet of
two destroyers and a supply ship to the Gulf of Aden.
The ships would depart from Sanya on the southern island province of
Hainan for a three-month escorting mission in the region, the paper
said. The announcement came a day after a Chinese cargo ship fought off
nine pirates in the Gulf of Aden.
The 30 crew fought for four hours against the pirates armed with
rocket launchers and heavy machine guns with the help of a
multi-coalition force. No injuries or deaths were reported.
"We deeply appreciate the effective help offered by Malaysia and
international organizations," Liu Jianchao, spokesman of the foreign
ministry, told a press conference Thursday.
Around 1,000 Chinese commercial ships pass the troubled sea areas a
year, sources said. And according to Liu, 20 percent of Chinese ships
passing through the waters off the Somalian coast have been attacked by
pirates from January to November this year.
Seven ships, either owned by China or carrying Chinese cargo and
crew, had been hijacked by pirates in that period, Liu said, adding that
one Chinese fishing boat along with 18 crew were still held by pirates.
About 40 ships carrying over 600 crew were hijacked by Somalia
pirates off the Somali coast in the first 11 months this year, Liu said,
citing the statistics of the Kenya-based Seafarers Assistance Program.
"China welcomes international cooperation in the fight against piracy
off the coast of Somalia, and support the efforts of other countries to
send warships to the region to crack down on pirates in pursuit of
international law and U.N. Security Council resolutions," he said.
More than 20 of those hijacked ships along with close to 300 crew
were held by the pirates. China's decision on Tuesday to send naval
ships to the waters off the Gulf of Aden and Somali coast was welcomed
by the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia.
Somalian Foreign Minister Ali Ahmed Jama hailed China's participation
on Tuesday, saying Somalia would continue to cooperate with China, and
do its utmost to retrieve the Chinese vessel and rescue Chinese crew
members taken hostage by pirates. Netizens in China also backed the
government's decision to send naval ships to the region. BEIJING, Xinhua |