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NAVAL DESPATCH FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF Capt Antony George FFFFFFFFF SEPTEMBER 2010 Naval power, economic development, and international relations are inextricably linked and sea lanes, as avenues for commerce and trade, would become increasingly critical as economic competition intensifies. - Alfred Thayer Mahan Introduction Since 2005, the ‘centre of gravity’ of Asian piracy has clearly shifted westwards from Southeast Asia to the Western Indian Ocean. The Somalia-based pirates are on the rampage, capturing vessels of all sizes ranging from yachts to super tankers and their crew for ransom. Maritime piracy is growing at an alarming rate and threatens to drastically disrupt international trade. After the Japanese-owned chemical tanker MV Stolt Valor was hijacked on15 Sep 08, which had 18 Indian sailors onboard, the Indian Navy was the first to respond by deploying INS Tabar, which sank a pirate vessel and in another incident rescued two FFFFFFFFF 1
FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF merchant vessels , and INS Mysore, on subsequent deployment, rescued two ships from being captured by pirates. Currently, warships from various countries are operating in the area. But, what has been of significance is the Chinese deployment of two destroyers and a supply ship 4000 Nm away from her shores to fight Somali piracy, which is the maiden operational out-of-area deployment in the history of the PLA Navy. The deployment is likely to have geopolitical repercussions in the Indian Ocean, which strategist Mahan had predicted would take centre stage in the 21st century, and the destiny of the world would be decided on these waters. AIM The aim of this paper is to analyse the reasons for the PLA Navy’s first ever operational foray into the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), its ramifications for India, and suggest a way ahead to counter the rise of Chinese power in South Asia. PLA NAVY’S FORAY INTO THE INDIAN OCEAN REGION (IOR) Why has PLA Navy Deployed Warships in the Gulf of Aden? Last year, 1,265 merchant vessels flying the Chinese Flag or those bound for China transited through the waters off Aden and nineteen of them encountered attacks by pirates and seven were hijacked. The matter was serious enough to warrant action by the Chinese, to safe guard the interests of its ships passing through the 500 km long Horn of Africa. Trade Protection. All Navies are mandated to maintain good order at sea and protect its national trade and energy lifelines, while projecting its national diplomatic policy, both benign and coercive. Therefore, it was no surprise that a Chinese Naval fleet comprising its latest guided missile destroyers, the 5,850-tonne Luhai class Wuhan and the 6,100-tonne Luyang class Haikou and its largest 23,000 ton fleet replenishment ship Weishanhu arrived in the Gulf of Aden off the Somalian coast, on 06 Jan 09, to carry out the first escort mission against pirates. On 18 Feb 09, in an efficient display of its growing Naval capabilities, the fleet completed its twenty first mission (the largest held so far in the series) of escorting merchant ships in the region. Ten Chinese merchant ships were part of the convoy while three foreign ones, including Hermione from Germany, Viking Crux from Singapore and Princess Nataly from Cyprus requested protection and were escorted by the Chinese fleet. Force Projection. The Chinese motivation for conducting Naval operations far away from the mainland for the first time stems from the fact that circumstances were favourable for projecting force at such a distance. China had gained enough experience in long distance Naval force deployment due to its frequent military exchanges with other countries. The logistics problem of supply and refuelling is no longer seen as a constraint. The significant capability of the supply ship Weishanhu, to support the ships operating in the area, is clearly evident from the fact that the ships on deployment have not entered any ports in the region during the last three months. The deployment is a demonstration to the world of how far China has come in meeting her main objective to improve in an all round way its capabilities of force projection, strategic deterrence, and conducting operations in distant waters. Participation in UN Mandated Operations. China, which became a permanent member of the UN Security Council only in 1971, did not engage in peace keeping operations until 1989. In 1989, it began its first exploratory foray into UN peacekeeping missions, sending non-military observers to join the "UN Namibia Transitional Period Aid Group" overseeing a general election. In 1990, China dispatched military observers to the Middle East in support of the UN Truce Supervision Organisation (UNTSO). One reason for this transition was the Tiananmen Square incident, when the People’s Liberation Army was caught on the wrong foot with its own people. This incident stimulated the need for the PLA to conduct more people-oriented activities such as disaster relief, domestic security, and other measures, but also, very importantly, participation in UN peacekeeping operations. This transition has now made China the largest contributor by a permanent member of the UN Security Council. It is in this context that the deployment of Naval ships to the Gulf of Aden assumes significance because it projects the continued Chinese contribution to UN mandated operations, which the Chinese feel is an essential requirement for gaining recognition as a ‘world power’ in the emerging new world order. FFFFFFFFF SEPTEMBER 2010 FFFFFFFFF2
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