International rescue - China looks after its interests abroad

The Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) dispatched three naval vessels to support international counter-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden in December 2008. This muscular effort is the clearest sign so far that Beijing is growing in its willingness and capacity to deploy military assets overseas to protect Chinese citizens and commercial interests.

This trend is likely to continue. Given China's need for natural resources to fuel its economic growth and the penetration of more stable markets by Western European and United States businesses, Chinese firms have begun operating in some of the least stable, resource-rich areas in the world, particularly in Africa and the Middle East. In these areas they have increasingly encountered physical security problems including crime, terrorism and the risk of being drawn into internal conflicts, which has increased domestic and commercial pressure on Beijing to protect its operations and personnel.

The probability of increasing Chinese deployments overseas and a growing willingness by Beijing to undertake civilian or military missions to protect its interests will concern competitors and potential rivals in Northeast Asia and beyond.

Image: A ceremony is held before a Chinese naval fleet sets sail from a port in Sanya city on Hainan Island in the South China Sea on 26 December. The deployment of People's Liberation Army Navy ships for anti-piracy duty off Somalia is indicative of China's increasing willingness and capability to protect its assets and nationals abroad. (PA Photos) 179 of 2,545 words