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China to send warships to Somalia
By Christian Le Miere
19 December 2008
China's state-run newspaper Global Times announced on 18 December that the country would send two destroyers and a supply ship to Somalia to protect Chinese shipping.
The announcement came one day after a Chinese-operated cargo vessel, Zhenhua 4 , was subject to a pirate attack in the Gulf of Aden. With no assets in the region, Beijing was compelled to request assistance from the International Maritime Bureau, which organised a multinational rescue effort. The ship was recovered and no crew members were injured.
The Zhenhua 4 is only the latest ship to be attacked this year. Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Liu Jianchao stated on 18 December that a further seven Chinese-owned, -operated or -crewed vessels were attacked in the first 11 months of the year by pirates off the Somali coast. This situation has encouraged Beijing to act to protect Chinese trade and shipping with the deployment of naval assets.