China mulling naval base in Gulf of Aden

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China mulling naval base in Gulf of Aden

BEIJING: A top Chinese naval official has proposed setting up a permanent base to support ships on an anti-piracy mission in the Gulf of Aden, raising the idea that China could build foreign bases elsewhere.

In an interview posted on the defence ministry website, Yin Zhuo, an admiral and senior researcher at the navy’s Equipment Research Centre, said such a base would bolster China’s long-term participation in the operation. “We are not saying we need our navy everywhere in order to fulfil our international commitments,” Yin said. “We are saying to fulfil our international commitments, we need to strengthen our supply capacity.”

Yin’s proposal, posted on Tuesday, came after a Chinese cargo ship and its crew of 25 members was rescued from Somali pirates on Monday, following the payment of a 3.5 million dollar ransom to their kidnappers. China has sent four naval fleets to the region since the end of last year, with the first escort fleet spending 124 days at sea without docking, Yin said. Since then, Chinese vessels have been allowed to dock and refuel at a French naval base.

The United States, European Union and Japan all have supply bases in the region, he said.

“If China establishes a similar long-term supply base, I believe that the nations in the region and the other countries involved with the (anti-pirate) escorts would understand. I think a permanent, stable base would be good for our operations.” Any decision to establish such a base would have to be made by the ruling Communist Party and its Central Military Commission, Yin said.