Beijing (AsiaNews / Agencies) - China has decided to join the naval forces that are fighting Somali pirates in the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden.
Until now, Beijing had only tried to protect its ships and containers, but now will be together with other countries in the Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia (CGPCS), which protect a corridor in the western Indian Ocean Sea, where pirate attacks are made with more the frequency.
The group includes a number of NATO forces, the European Union, the United States, the Arab League. Leadership rotates.
Beijing’s decision seems to have been caused by the lastest seizure of a Chinese ship and its crew of 25 people abducted last October. They were released in December after the payment of a ransom of 3.5 million U.S. dollars.
Last month, an interview Admiral Yin Zhuo, appeared on the website of Chinese Foreign Ministry suggesting the opening of the permanent bases in China and abroad. The proposal is viewed with suspicion by countries of South East Asia, in conflict with Beijing for the sovereignty of the Spratlys islands, off the South China Sea, which is also infested with pirates.