China's navy off Somalia

Cash and carry

Oct 29th 2009 | BEIJING
From The Economist print edition

A hijack dilemma for China

UNACCUSTOMED to operating far from its own shores, China’s navy is even less used to actual fighting. So news on October 19th that Somali pirates had hijacked a Chinese commercial vessel in the Indian Ocean caused a stir at home. With three of its naval ships taking part in anti-piracy operations off Somalia, China for the first time would be in a position to use force to rescue a China-registered boat and its captured Chinese crew.

But China’s state-owned press has taken care not to let the hijacking of the De Xin Hai, a bulk carrier, and its 25 crew whip up expectations in China of imminent military action. A foreign-ministry official said China would make an “all-out effort” to rescue them. Global Times, an English-language newspaper in Beijing, said that China was in “a dilemma of choosing a military rescue or paying the ransom”. But Chinese-language media carried little news. They stressed that China’s navy could not have prevented the incident, which took place far from the area it patrols in the gulf. The De Xin Hai was 700 nautical miles (1,300km) from the coast.

The pirates have taken the vessel, which was carrying coal from South Africa to India, to the Somali port of Hobyo. This gives the hijackers more shelter and backup and further complicates any military action. Hong Kong’s South China Morning Post reported on October 28th that China had begun talks with the pirates. Officials have not confirmed this, but it would follow a wearily familiar pattern for shipowners using the waterway. Hijacks often end with sackloads of cash being exchanged for the captured vessel and crew.

China is probably extremely wary of resorting to force. A botched operation would be an embarrassment for a navy that earlier this year celebrated its 60th anniversary with much hoopla. For China, the deployment in the Gulf of Aden is as much about flying the flag and showing solidarity with a multinational effort as it is about making a real difference to the security of Chinese shipping in the region. After all, it can seek protection from more than 20 other navies, including America’s, involved in anti-piracy operations there.

The American army has viewed China’s deployment in the Gulf of Aden, initially involving two destroyers and a supply ship, as a useful way of getting to know more about a secretive force. Admiral Timothy Keating, who retired this month as America’s Pacific commander, has said that the deployment could be a springboard for a resumed dialogue between the two countries’ forces. They last broke off in 2008, when China was sulking about American arms sales to Taiwan.

Co-ordinating American and Chinese efforts in the Gulf of Aden has certainly done no harm to ties. On October 27th America’s defence secretary, Robert Gates, received General Xu Caihou, the most senior Chinese military visitor in three years. A spokesman said America wanted to end the “on again, off again” pattern of Sino-American military relations. But with more arms sales to Taiwan awaiting approval, this does not look likely.