China dispatching ships to battle Somali pirates
China announced Thursday it will dispatch naval ships to join international forces battling Somali pirates.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said Beijing welcomed stronger international cooperation in countering piracy, which was why China decided to send vessels to help the cause.
“Now the preparation is under way,” Liu said, without elaborating on details of the mission. He said information will be released later.
The mission would be a first for the Chinese navy, which has mainly concentrated on coastal defense and not protection of ships in overseas waters.
The Global Times, a newspaper published by the Communist Party, said the fleet could consist of two cruisers and one large supply ship.
Attacks by pirates in the Gulf of Aden off the Somali coast has become a major problem, Liu said, adding that piracy “has become an international enemy, posing a great threat to international navigation, trade and security.”
Citing data from the Kenya Seafarer’s Assistance Program, Liu said that 300 ships were attacked by pirates last year in that area. More than 40 ships were hijacked in the first 11 months of this year.
During the same period, 1,265 Chinese ships have passed through the area — an average of three to four a day, he said. About 20 percent of them have come under attack, Liu said.
This year, there have been seven pirate attacks involving Chinese ships or crews, he said, including a Chinese cargo ship attacked Wednesday off the coast of Somalia. The crew of the Zhenhua 4 was rescued with the help of an international piracy force that sent in attack helicopters.
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