China is considering sending ships to fight pirates off the Horn of Africa in what would be the country's first significant long-range naval combat mission since the 15th century.
Senior Colonel Huang Xueping, spokesman for China's Ministry of National Defense, told the FT an anti-piracy mission was “still in the consideration stage”. But he said: “There will be an announcement very soon.”
Since late October, more than 30 ships have been attacked by pirates based in Somalia and 12 vessels captured. These include a Chinese fishing vessel with 30 crew seized off the coast of Yemen on Tuesday.
It was freed yesterday by a “multilateral force”, according to Xinhua, the official news agency.
The UN Security Council on Tuesday authorised states to conduct land and air attacks on pirate bases in Somalia. This follows the sending by Nato of ships to accompany World Food Programme vessels. The European Union, India, Russia and the US have also sent ships and helicopters on anti-piracy missions to the area.
Beijing in recent years has tried to placate foreign fears over its military expansion by claiming it is pursing a “peaceful rise” as a power. Other than for a 2002 global tour and a handful of port calls to the US and Europe over the past decade, China's navy has not ventured far out to sea since the 15th century voyages around the world undertaken by Zheng He, the country's most famous explorer. But the country is increasing military spending at 15-20 per cent a year and the US and Japan believe it is developing a blue-water navy.
A senior defence official told the FT last month China wanted eventually to be able to add aircraft carriers to its navy, although he emphasised Beijing would “not use [an aircraft carrier] to pursue global deployment or global reach.”
Any Chinese anti-piracy operation is expected to be small and observers doubt Beijing would be comfortable taking part in a bigger international operation if it carried a significant risk of combat, even under a UN mandate.
译文:
中国欲派舰队打击索马里海盗
中国正考虑派舰队打击“非洲之角”海域的海盗，这是中国自15世纪以来的第一次具有重大意义的远程海上军事行动。
中国国防部新闻发言人、大校黄雪平告诉《金融时报》，打击海盗行动“仍处于考虑阶段”。但他说：“很快就会公布考虑结果。”
从今年十月开始，有超过30艘船只遭遇索马里海盗的攻击，有12艘被劫持。其中包括一艘有30名船员的中国渔船，该船于周二在也门海岸被劫持。
据中国官方通讯社新华社报道，该渔船已于昨天被“多国部队”解救。
联合国安全理事会周二授权各国采取陆地和空中袭击打击索马里海盗。在此之前，北约派舰队护送世界粮食计划署的船舶。欧盟、印度、俄罗斯和美国也派舰队和直升机在索马里海域进行打击海盗行动。
近年来中国设法安抚外国对于中国军事扩张的担忧，声称这是寻求一个大国的“和平崛起”。除了2002年的一次全球巡回访问和过去十年里到访美国和欧洲的一些港口，自15世纪郑和（中国著名探险家）下西洋后中国海军就没有出过远洋。现在中国每年军费支出增加10-20%，美国和日本相信中国正在发展蓝水海军。
上月，一位高级军事长官告诉《金融时报》，中国希望最终中国海军能拥有航空母舰，但他强调中国“不会使用航空母舰来寻求全球部署或全球影响力。”
中国任何打击海盗的行动不会是大规模的，观察人士怀疑，若中国更进一步参与国际事务将承担巨大的军事风险，中国即使在联合国的授权下也会感到不安。