Keeping Seas Safe

The high seas around the Horn of Africa have again entered the headlines. After a relatively quiet five-year period since pirates caused havoc to passing vessels -they are back.

On April 8， Chinas navy reported the attempted hijacking of a ship from Tuvalu（South Pacific independent island nation） by suspected Somali pirates. Working together with the Indian navy， they managed to secure both the ship and the safety of the crew.

Spokesperson Hua Chunying of Chinas Ministry of Foreign Affairs told a media briefing that the operation demonstrated the effectiveness of Chinese naval forces in fighting pirates， as well as Chinas image as a responsible major country in safeguarding regional peace and stability.

“We are always positive toward international counter-piracy operations，” she added.

The area around the Horn of Africa is one of the worlds busiest shipping corridors and first saw armed Somali pirates in dinghies hijack massive transport ships and hold them for ransom around 2008. Piracy reached a peak in 2011 when merchant vessels were being hijacked weekly. According to the International Maritime Bureau， 237 pirate attacks off the Somalia coast took place that year， involving hundreds of hostages. The bureau reported that these attacks caused global economic losses of $7 billion， while the pirates pocketed almost $160 million in ransoms. Somalia continues to be an embattled country that needs an all-inclusive strategy encompassing political reform， security and economic development， without which piracy is bound to continue.

Nonetheless， the UN-sanctioned intervention of international navies from China， the United States， Russia， India and Japan patrolling this region and escorting ships through the dangerous shipping lane contributed to piracy in the region almost disappearing in 2012.

Some observers say the piracy resurgence is because of the forces guarding the sea corridor and the shipping companies themselves having been lulled into a false sense of security due to the pirates recent hiatus.

Despite this observation， Chinas involvement in the international group of navies in the region remains steadfast since 2008. According to the countrys navy， it had escorted a total of 6，337 Chinese and foreign vessels during its anti-piracy operations up to April 7 this year and been involved in scores of incidents of vessels attacked by pirates.

China is acutely aware， as demonstrated by its thwarting of the recent piracy attack， that it must play a responsible and cooperative role within the global family. This is seen to be important not only because of Chinas rising international status， but also because issues that are common to all nations need to be addressed as a united group with a common vision. This growing engagement with the world， be it in multinational military operations such as navy escorts， or in other global forums， continues to demonstrate Chinas growing role in the global community.