China.org.cn
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
The Chinese Navy is once again sending forces to Somalia to target
piracy in the Gulf of Aden. China first began patrolling the waters
along with an international flotilla in 2008. Since then, it's
undertaken ten such missions - protecting some 4500 ships.
The farewell ceremony is becoming more
and more familiar to the Chinese navy these days. A fleet left the port
Qingdao on Monday morning, ready to carry out its orders.
Yang Junfei, fleet commander, said, "Fleet 113 ready for duty." Ding Yiping, deputy commander of Chinese navy, said, "Set Sail!"
The fleet brings a destroyer, missile
frigate, support ship, 2 helicopters and special forces to bear on the
region - a total of 800 naval personnel are involved.
The UN Security Council has been urging
member countries to combat piracy along the Somali coast since the
1990s. The Chinese navy joined in 4 years ago and has been an active
partner ever since.
Last Thursday, The People's Liberation
Army Navy held the International Symposium on Counter-Piracy and Escort
Operations in China's eastern city of Nanjing. Delegations from more
than 20 states and organizations gathered there to get to know more
about each other.
Phil Haslam, staff captain of European
Naval Force, said, "I represent the European Naval Force, which is based
in London, and the tactical coordination the ships have, day to day, in
the Gulf of Aden. I see this symposium is taking that coordination to
another level."
Cao Weidong, senior researcher of Naval
Research Institute, PLA, said, "The Chinese navy hopes to build up a
platform for international cooperation that will allow naval forces of
different countries to familiarize themselves with each other. I hope
the platform well-serves our anti-piracy goals. "
In addition to combating piracy, the fleet will be continuing to offer human aid to countries in need.