Why did China go to the Gulf of Aden to escort?

Reason one: safeguarding national interests. Piracy not only disturbs navigation safety, but also hinders the realization of China's national development interests and obviously infringes on national interests.

Reason two: shaping the national image. The rescue of hostages by China Navy and the protection of merchant ships' navigation are related to the national image.

Reason three: the responsibilities and obligations of big countries. If warships of various countries use compulsory force to protect the safety of the navigation channel, it will be very helpful to restore the normal order in the Gulf of Aden and restore the confidence of the international shipping community, and China warships will certainly be helpful in this regard.

Reason 4: Exercise the China Navy. It is of great significance for the training of officers and soldiers and the formation of ships for the navy to cross the ocean and carry out such quasi-war tasks in dangerous areas, which will exercise our maritime action ability and approach the standard of quasi-actual combat.

Extended data

An important event in the Gulf of Aden: the existence of pirates

In the past 199 1 year, the number of Somali pirates has been growing, from less than 100 to 100 and then to 1200. Ships passing through the Gulf of Aden and Somali waters are often attacked or hijacked by pirates. Somali pirates have become a major international public hazard, posing a serious threat to international shipping and maritime security. According to the statistics of the United Nations International Maritime Organization, since 2008, there have been more than 120 maritime robberies in the waters near Somalia, with more than 30 ships hijacked and more than 600 crew members kidnapped.

On September 25, 2008, Somali pirates hijacked a Ukrainian arms ship carrying 33 main battle tanks. On June 5438+065438+1October 65438+May 2008, Somali pirates hijacked the 330m-long Saudi Arabian giant oil tanker Sirius. On June 5438+February 65438+July 2008, the China cargo ship "Zhenhua No.4" was attacked by pirates in the Gulf of Aden off the Somali coast (Zhenhua No.4 cargo ship resisted pirates). Finally, with the joint efforts of all parties, the pirates who boarded the ship were forced to retreat, and 30 China crew members successfully escaped from danger. Somali pirates still control more than 10 ships and more than 200 hostages.

Since 2008, there have been more than 80 pirate attacks off the coast of Somalia. On average, a ship is hijacked every four days, and piracy has become rampant to the extreme. Most of the robberies took place in the Gulf of Aden, which is the sea throat from the Indian Ocean through the Red Sea and Suez Canal into the Mediterranean and Atlantic Oceans.

Naval escort

In order to ensure the safety of international shipping, maritime trade and personnel, the United Nations Security Council adopted resolution 18 16 in June 2008, authorizing foreign troops to enter Somali territorial waters to combat piracy and armed robbery at sea with the consent of the Somali government. The authorization is valid for six months. Since then, the Security Council has successively adopted resolutions 1838, 1846 and185/kloc-0, calling on countries concerned about the safety of maritime activities to actively participate in the fight against Somali pirates. Among them, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted resolution 185 1 on June 65438+February 65438, 2008, and decided to authorize relevant countries and international organizations to "take all necessary and appropriate measures to stop piracy and armed robbery at sea" within 12 months from now. The Transitional Federal Government of Somalia also called on countries to enter their territorial waters to fight piracy. By 2008, ships from the European Union, the United States, the Russian Federation, China and India had stepped up their patrols in the Gulf of Aden. However, to solve the piracy problem in Somalia, in addition to taking maritime escort actions to stop pirate attacks, the international community should also help Somalia restore order as soon as possible and promote peace and stability in Somalia.

On June 5438+1October 65438+February, 2009, China naval escort formation organized and escorted four ships, including the merchant ship Yushan of Taiwan Province Province. This is the second escort operation since the naval escort formation arrived in the Gulf of Aden. Merchant ships protected are: Zhenhua 13, Zhenhua 14, Yushan and SAGAHORIZON. Among them, Zhenhua 13 and Zhenhua 14 are from Shanghai, Yushan is from Taiwan Province Province, and SAGAHORIZON is a Philippine merchant ship registered in China. The escort operation set sail from the east exit of Mande Strait, with a total distance of 553 nautical miles. On that day, the weather in the Gulf of Aden was fine, and the four merchant ships escorted left the meeting point in a single file. The "Wuhan" ship was guarded on the side near the central position. Two groups of special warfare players boarded the "Zhenhua 13" and "Zhenhua 14" at the fore and aft of the fleet to carry out escort. After entering the complex sea area, the "Haikou" ship will join the formation and carry out mobile escort. Located in the western corner of the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Aden is an important sea passage connecting the Indian Ocean and the Red Sea, and forms a "golden waterway" connecting Europe and Asia with the Red Sea and Suez Canal.

At 6 o'clock on April 13, 2009 (Beijing time 1 1), the guided missile destroyer "Wuhan" sailed to the parallel position of the guided missile destroyer "Shenzhen", and the two ships played "Welcome your comrades-in-arms" and "You have worked hard and learned from you" respectively. The "Wuhan" ship honked for a long time, and the second escort formation "Shenzhen" ship and "Huangshan" ship honked in response. Three ships whistle at the same time 1 min. Since the first escort formation of China Navy arrived in the Gulf of Aden in 654381October 6, it has been fighting continuously, successfully completing the escort mission of 40 batches of 206 merchant ships, successfully rescuing 3 foreign merchant ships, effectively safeguarding the safety of maritime transport lines, and many foreign merchant ships have joined voluntarily. According to statistics, there are 29 foreign merchant ships temporarily joining the first escort formation.

References:

Baidu encyclopedia-Gulf of Aden