China 'seriously considering' naval mission in Somali

UNITED NATIONS - Chinese Vice Foreign Minister He Yafei said here on Tuesday that China is "seriously considering sending naval ships" to the waters off the Somali coast for escorting operations in the near future to fight against rampant piracy there.

Speaking at a ministerial meeting of the UN Security Council on Somali piracy, He said that China welcomes international cooperation in the fight against piracy off the coast of Somalia and supports the efforts of relevant countries to send warships to the region to crack down on pirates in pursuant to international law and Security Council resolutions.

"China is seriously considering sending naval ships to the Gulf of Aden and waters off the Somali coast for escorting operations in the near future," he said.

Delivering a four-point proposition on fighting Somali piracy, He said it is crucial to allow the United Nations, especially the Security Council, to play its core role in maintaining world peace and security, and effectively coordinate responses and actions from all the countries concerned.

In its fight against piracy, the international community should strictly abide by international law and security council resolutions; formulate and integrate its strategy and work toward a comprehensive resolution to the Somali issue by making concerted efforts in the political, military, economic, diplomatic and judicial fields; and help Somalia strengthen its own capacity building and carry out regional cooperation, he added.

He said that the surge of piracy is just a symptom of the profound political, economic, social and humanitarian crisis confronting Somalia.

While taking the fight against Somali piracy seriously, the international community should attach more importance to removing the root causes of piracy, he said.

He called on all parties concerned to further advance the political process, mandate the United Nations to take over peacekeeping operations in Somalia at an early date, prevent the humanitarian situation in Somalia from further deteriorating and increase assistance to Somalia in infrastructure development projects.