In the latest development in the Somali pirates situation, China is sending a small naval detachment to help deal with the problem.
This is a new development for China, who historically has not had a navy prone to global actions. For a long period of Chinese history, there was basically no Chinese navy whatsoever, though at other times China held quite a firm grip on the seas around their borders. Ironically, those seas used to be scourged by Chinese pirates as well, but that's another story.
Meanwhile, as all eyes turn to see what the US Government's reaction will be, the official response was something along the lines of "Hm? Oh, whatever, that's fine.".
China has a vested interest in seeing that their cargo stays secure while passing through the area, doubtless. And it is a welcome relief to me to see that we don't feel an obligation to right the wrongs of the Gulf of Aden. More interesting is the fact that the local Muslim countries have up until this point done little to diminish it, let alone put a stop to it.
China's intervention may actually make a difference, as they have been heavily investing in Africa for a while now. Though, it has been made clear that Somalia is not really functioning as a nation right now. The "Somali Coast Guard" is actually a piratical organization as well.
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"We are making preparations and
arrangements to deploy naval ships to the Gulf of Aden for escorting
operations," [Foreign Ministry Spokesman] Liu said, without elaborating on details of the mission.
This is a new development for China, who historically has not had a navy prone to global actions. For a long period of Chinese history, there was basically no Chinese navy whatsoever, though at other times China held quite a firm grip on the seas around their borders. Ironically, those seas used to be scourged by Chinese pirates as well, but that's another story.
Meanwhile, as all eyes turn to see what the US Government's reaction will be, the official response was something along the lines of "Hm? Oh, whatever, that's fine.".
A U.S. State Department official said the U.S. has no problem with China "deploying its assets."
"China, like a number of other countries, has decided that we as an international community must act," the official said.
China has a vested interest in seeing that their cargo stays secure while passing through the area, doubtless. And it is a welcome relief to me to see that we don't feel an obligation to right the wrongs of the Gulf of Aden. More interesting is the fact that the local Muslim countries have up until this point done little to diminish it, let alone put a stop to it.
China's intervention may actually make a difference, as they have been heavily investing in Africa for a while now. Though, it has been made clear that Somalia is not really functioning as a nation right now. The "Somali Coast Guard" is actually a piratical organization as well.
-()4|<.
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