deployment of the PLA Navy ships in the - Information Resource ...

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