PLAN Anti-Piracy Deployments

[UCSDAE]

I think everyone has heard about the Somali pirates by now. Anyone have any thoughts on as to whether PLAN should send ships over? There were quite a few Chinese ships has been hijacked(a HK regiestered tanker and a fishing ship most recently).

Personally, I think this will be a great way to let some of the naval officers gain real combat experiences, not to mention it can be a great PR opportunity after the melanine milk scandal.

Thoughts?

 

[AssassinsMace]

Re: Somali pirates and Chinese navy

My bet would be the reaction is alarming. China ain't India. I can see the headlines now that it's overkill. Every shipping company is going to have to hire armed security.

 

[bladerunner]

Re: Somali pirates and Chinese navy

yes by attacking and sinking the pirates boats with fatalities, is denying them human rights to a fair trial

 

[FriedRiceNSpice]

Re: Somali pirates and Chinese navy

yes by attacking and sinking the pirates boats with fatalities, is denying them human rights to a fair trial

Actually according to international law and the laws of the sea, it is perfectly legal to engage and neutralize groups clearly involved in piracy. Individuals engaging in piracy in international waters are also denied many basic legal rights. The problem is that many of these cases involve a hostage situation, and rash handling of such cases will occur public backlash back home. Furthermore, the PLAN has logistical concerns when it comes to fighting piracy off the coast of Africa.

 

[Mr T]

Re: Somali pirates and Chinese navy

Every shipping company is going to have to hire armed security.

I doubt it. They're very opposed to it, as are the insurance companies - putting armed men on all those ships would just increase the chance of people getting killed. Also it's very expensive. As things stand they prefer to pay the ransom.

If anything happens you'll see the ships upgraded with defensive technology to stop them boarding in the first place.

 

[SteelBird]

Re: Somali pirates and Chinese navy

I read a news that the Indian nay have sunk a pirate mother ship off the coast of Somalia. Why can't PLAN do it?

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[PrOeLiTeZ]

Re: Somali pirates and Chinese navy

international waters hold no laws and no regulations. so if china was, though i doubt, to engage in combat and inflict casuality upon the other party, china technically under law did nothing wrong and the actions were never taken place. no trial, no human rights, no human abuse, nothing in international waters. its a foolish move if china was to engage in combat just to build up their status due to some food problems. food problems such as the milk scandal and linking it to military is completly non-related, and different departments.

the best defensive options without armed weapons, probably is non-lethal ones to arm the crew with. taser and sprays would be a good idea.

 

[Maggern]

Re: Somali pirates and Chinese navy

Actually, in international waters there is a kind of regulation. Every ship is still under the law of the flag state (meaning the country whose flag the ship flies). This means Chinese vessels would not be able to pursue any action that is illegal in China (meaning they would not be able to shoot drowning people for kicks). There are a lot of other regulations as well, though they are not relevant in this case

Piracy is a special case. Any military vessel is allowed to engage pirates in international waters, and even in territorial waters if the coastal state has no means of dealing with the pirates, or simply refuse to do so (in which case it would be a completely different story). Usually pirate-hunting is carried out with the consent of the coastal state of course, not for any judicial matter but simply because it's good manners.

The piracy-problem outside Somalia (and in Malacca) is international, and all international players participate to combat the problem (NATO, Russia, India..). As such, China should at least participate with some kind of symbolic force, to show that it's able to do its part to ensure the safe exercise of the freedom of the sea.

 

[Engineer]

Re: Somali pirates and Chinese navy

Actually according to international law and the laws of the sea, it is perfectly legal to engage and neutralize groups clearly involved in piracy. Individuals engaging in piracy in international waters are also denied many basic legal rights.

You are forgetting that the West would conveniently ignore such rule when it comes to China. Beside, China doesn't have enough destroyers to spare a few to Africa coast.

 

[Maggern]

Re: Somali pirates and Chinese navy

I think the West would have a hard time trying to stop China.
How would they be able to deny Chinese ships to engage pirates? Firing at the Chinese? Unlikely.

International Law still proclaims that any and all ships are allowed to move freely in International Waters. If the West tries to hinder that, they'd have an ICJ (International Court of Justice) ruling in their face.

All the West can really do is to deny China intelligence about pirate whereabouts and refuse to cooperate. That won't really stop the Chinese, but it would make the Chinese mission perhaps not as efficient as otherwise.