It also has to do so to protect its own interests," said Liu Naiya, an Africa specialist at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in Beijing.
Security Council, China has the responsibility to maintain the international peace and security. Among other participants are Denmark, Greece, Turkey, Italy and Malaysia. in a growing international fleet fighting a brazen wave of piracy launched from Somalia's shores. The state-controlled press has been rallying support for such a mission with editorials that refer to China's "responsibility" as well as to what the English-language China Daily called an opportunity to "get into the thick of the action." An online poll published by the newspaper today reported that 90% of respondents supported the mission.Ĭhina is the only permanent member of the Security Council that has not joined the U.S. Security Council were the first by a senior Chinese official confirming widespread speculation voiced in recent weeks. The remarks during a ministerial meeting of the U.N. The Global Times, a newspaper tied to the ruling Communist Party, called the possible deployment China's "biggest naval expedition since the 15th century."Ĭhina's deputy foreign minister, He Yafei, was quoted by the state news agency as saying that China was "seriously considering sending naval ships to the Gulf of Aden and waters off the Somali coast for escorting operations in the near future." Reporting from Beijing - China signaled Wednesday that it may send warships to help fight pirates off the coast of Somalia, a sign of Beijing's increasing willingness to flex its military muscle.Īlthough China has participated in United Nations peacekeeping operations in Africa, its navy has seldom left the Pacific region. But it was the intervention of Malaysian naval forces, with support from other countries, that thwarted the pirates.īBC NEWS | Africa | Chinese ships will fight piratesĬhina may send warships to Somalia coast - Los Angeles Timesīeijing's move to possibly send naval vessels to the Gulf of Aden comes as pirates are prevented from taking over a Chinese commercial ship. The crew used water cannon and bottles to try to fight off their attackers, according to local media reports. On Wednesday, the Zhenhua 4 was attacked by Somali pirates.
Seven Chinese ships or crews have been attacked this year, Mr Liu said. The Gulf of Aden is a region of key strategic importance for China whose economy depends heavily upon a secure supply of oil and raw materials from abroad, our correspondent says.įour or five Chinese ships pass through the busy channel every day. On Wednesday the UN Security Council unanimously approved a resolution allowing foreign military forces to pursue pirates on land in Somalia, though Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has said the time is not right for such a mission. He said further details would be provided when the operation was formally announced.īut the state-run Global Times newspaper said two destroyers and one supply ship would depart from a Chinese naval base on Hainan island after 25 December. This is its first active deployment beyond the Pacific, and naval analysts will be watching closely to see how the Chinese cope with the complex maintenance and re-supply problems of operating so far from home, the BBC's diplomatic correspondent Jonathan Marcus says.įoreign ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao told journalists that preparations to dispatch the vessels were under way.
The latest operation is a first for Beijing, which has until now pursued a policy of military non-interference.Ĭhina's navy, along with the rest of its military, has not often strayed far from home.īut China's military spending has increased dramatically in recent years as its armed forces undergo a thorough modernisation. On Wednesday, Malaysian naval forces helped foil an attempt to hijack a Chinese ship by Somali pirates. State media suggested the force could consist of two destroyers and a supply ship, although officials did not confirm the details of the deployment. China has announced it is to send naval ships to fight rampant piracy in the Gulf of Aden off the coast of Somalia.