China major-general urges navy to fight Somali pirates

[communist]

BEIJING, Dec 4 (Reuters) - China should send naval ships to help wipe out Somali pirates menacing commercial vessels off Africa, a prominent Chinese military strategist said, urging his nation to take a higher profile in such operations.

Major-General Jin Yinan's comments may reflect growing debate about combating the rising piracy in a country which has generally confined its growing naval strength to waters near home.

Jin told a Chinese radio interviewer that "nobody should be shocked" if his government one day decided to send navy ships to deal with the pirates, whose recent victims have included ships from mainland China and Hong Kong.

"With China as a major world economy, it's very difficult to say that security problems across the world have nothing to do with us," Jin said in the interview reprinted by the China News Service (www.chinanews.com.cn), an official agency, on Thursday.

Jin, head of a strategy institute at China's National Defence University, gave no sign that such naval action was under imminent consideration. But he said China's growing clout made it increasingly likely that the government would use its forces in security operations far from home.

"I believe the Chinese navy should send naval vessels to the Gulf of Aden to carry out anti-piracy duties," he said. "If one day, the Chinese navy sends ships to deal with pirates, nobody should be shocked."

A surge in attacks at sea this year in the busy Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean off Somalia has pushed up insurance costs, brought the Somali gangs tens of millions of dollars in ransom and prompted foreign warships to the area.

The victims have included a Hong Kong-flagged ship with 25 crew aboard and a Chinese fishing boat reported seized off Kenya.

On Tuesday, the U.N. Security Council renewed its authorisation for countries to use military force against the gunmen operating out of anarchic Somalia.

NATO ships began anti-piracy operations off the Somali coast in late October, but they have failed to stop the hijackings.

Jin, a frequent commentator in Chinese media, said the country's lack of military bases abroad should not rule out anti-piracy operations. National pride was at stake, he said.

"If we don't take effective action, how will they see us abroad, and how will Chinese people view their government?", he said. (Reporting by Chris Buckley; Editing by Nick Macfie)

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/PEK314209.htm

I do not support this idea.

[Mikelus Trento]

Care to explain why?

Surely you think national navies are an appropriate way to combat the piracy?
And if that assumption is correct, why in heaven's name wouldn't China have just as much right, and in fact duty, to protect its national interests?

Obviously the navies that are helping aren't quite up to eradicating the problem, since it continues. So ANY national navy that would contribute to eliminating the problem should, imo, be welcome.

[shadyrome]

Care to explain why you don't support this idea? This is fantasic news, Now all china need to do is send a few subs. Lets hope the goverements agree with this deal.

[Mithie]

It breaks my heart that the evil imperialists would go to such lengths to break the backs of the gallant freedom fighters protecting the coast of Somalia from greed and captalism.

[StarDreamer]

Good that China might be ready to take some part in combating international crime.

[Carach]

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/PEK314209.htm

I do not support this idea.

i see no problem with them sending ships to help combat pirates.

however there is an argument of late that the world has now responded a little bit crazy naval-wise to the pirate threat there..that its getting overpopulated with warships lol.. (along with the fact that the pirates still have places to base out of.. that are untouched)

China's fleet may be more useful around indonesia, a region that also has several straights that suffer from piracy daily - far less publicised though

[Каие]

No one bother to think that maybe China just wants it's arms and oil supplies to go through to Sudan and Zimbabwe?

[Chukada1]

No one bother to think that maybe China just wants it's arms and oil supplies to go through to Sudan and Zimbabwe?

There it is! We have a winner. I was beginning to think nobody could put the spin on this story.

Thank you China bashers. You make us all proud.

[Каие]

There it is! We have a winner. I was beginning to think nobody could put the spin on this story. Thank you China bashers. You make us all proud.

Pulled the race card so early in the game? Pathetic. Absolutely pathetic. If only I had a record of 'bashing' the Chinese. If you can find me quotes which I typed here proving such a record please do so, we'd like to see it. Otherwise keep your libellous unfounded garbage inside your own head.

I'll let this slide this time, you're a nationalist, you feel offended.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

And we wonder why the Mudpit is getting ed up

[Carach]

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

And we wonder why the Mudpit is getting ed up

havent wondered for a long time, ive known.

i thought ur comment was valid, its China's economic interests afterall.

[Mithie]

i thought ur comment was valid, its China's economic interests afterall.

Why would China look for a new way to smuggle arms when the current method works so well (and has worked well for everyone ever since the French supplied arms through private runners to the revolutionary Americans back in 1774)?

Why would China risk partisan link and a bigger risk for potential embarrassment in using large scale overseas shipping?

[Markas]

There it is! We have a winner. I was beginning to think nobody could put the spin on this story.

Thank you China bashers. You make us all proud.

Considering your consistent attacks on your imposed western cultural upbringing which you seem rather bitter about (with your laughable assertations that western medicine is somehow inferior to traditional chinese medicine and attacks on the dalai lama) I hardly think you can accuse other people of being critical or being a 'China basher'. I'm sure in your eyes the Motherland can do no wrong but I think you'll find ЯoMe kb8 made a perfectly valid point.

[Chukada1]

Considering your consistent attacks on your imposed western cultural upbringing which you seem rather bitter about (with your laughable assertations that western medicine is somehow inferior to traditional chinese medicine and attacks on the dalai lama) I hardly think you can accuse other people of being critical or being a 'China basher'. I'm sure in your eyes the Motherland can do no wrong but I think you'll find ЯoMe kb8 made a perfectly valid point.

lol, I said the first bit to draw you into the discussion, and I said the second bit because the Dalai Lama represents a sucky monarchy with slaves and squaler.

Oh snap. I'm angry.

[Markas]

lol, I said the first bit to draw you into the discussion, and I said the second bit because the Dalai Lama represents a sucky monarchy with slaves and squaler.

Oh snap. I'm angry.

Consider me well and truly Boris Johnson'd!

[Mithie]

No one bother to think that maybe China just wants it's arms and oil supplies to go through to Sudan and Zimbabwe?

China currently employs a huge number of private gun runners to perform (supposedly) non-partisam arms deals with pretty much everyone in the world.

America did the same in South America during the 80s and Afghanistan in the 90s.

If you see a Norinco SKS pop up in the hands of some Sudanese border guard - protip: it's not there because China needs to drive a cargo ship loaded with arms with the Chinese flag hoisted high past the (nonexistent) UN blockade.

It probably got there because Warlord General Addiz called up Yuri Orlov over at French Guinea, who legally purchased a truckload of guns from China, who shipped them to Zimbabwe, and had Zimbabwean export authority stamped on them, and sold them legally to the previously mentioned Warlord Addiz.

[Valiant Champion]

All you have to do is mount a few heavy machine guns on the merchant ships and arm the crews. Its rediculous bringing in full blown warships in to destroy motor boats. Lets not forget what India did trying to play Cisco.

[Каие]

Thanks guys, I was only making a passing comment. I'm sorry I am cynical when China a largely non-interventionist un-democratic nation suddenly offers to police the African coast. As with most big nations it's normally to do with their interests. In this case trade with Africa.

[StarDreamer]

Thanks guys, I was only making a passing comment. I'm sorry I am cynical when China a largely non-interventionist un-democratic nation suddenly offers to police the African coast. As with most big nations it's normally to do with their interests. In this case trade with Africa.

Their trade with africa that goes through the gulf of aden? Or maybe their trade with Europe? Which one do you believe to be more lucrative for them?

[Mithie]

Thanks guys, I was only making a passing comment. I'm sorry I am cynical when China a largely non-interventionist un-democratic nation suddenly offers to police the African coast. As with most big nations it's normally to do with their interests. In this case trade with Africa.

You're right on the money with this statement, even if your approach is wrong.

"In this case trade with Africa."

The concept of "face" is very important not just in Chinese politics but also in Chinese economic principles. The recent hijacking of the tanker sailing out of Hong Kong (despite the fact that it wasn't crewed by Hongkongese) is, to the Chinese, an unacceptable loss - translating to a loss of "face" to her African economic partners.

Therefore, China is doing everything she can to demonstrate to her African clients that she is able to project all the power that's needed to guarrantee the safety of her shipments.

This also goes step in step with the recent surge in Chinese participation in UN peacekeeping and humanitarian missions - because as China expands economically throughout the world, she has a greater and greater vested interest and need to project power over these economic holdings - the goal being stablization and protection.

In most cases, stability means profit for China; and especially in the case of the Somali coast, stability means happier African clients.

Here's the golden rule: when judging Chinese motives in internaional politics, think economics first, and 99/100 times, you'd be right on the money.

Their trade with africa that goes through the gulf of aden? Or maybe their trade with Europe? Which one do you believe to be more lucrative for them?

Both are fairly lucrative, acutally, and in this case, since the target is the Somali pirate cartel, I'm thinking a decisive strike would be targeting China's African trade base, as her European trade partners all have their own security measures in place against piracy.

[Каие]

I figured Mithie, their economy is the most important thing to them, no one will dare invade or any other nonsense. Economic dominance and absolute strength is their goal.