Chinese Ships Join the Pirate Hunt

If the Somali pirates aren’t outgunned now, they never will be. China is sending three warships – two destroyers and a supply ship – to join an armada of warships from the United States, NATO, India, and Russia patrolling the pirate-infested Somali waters. 

This is not to make light of the difficulty of catching and cashiering pirates. It’s hard to tell who’s on ships that ply the waters off Somalia’s 1,800-mile coastline. But the larger point may be that China wants to show it is up to maneuvering with the established naval powers. The Wall Street Journal’s report on a Stratfor appraisal of China’s move suggests that maintaining the piracy patrol will provide China’s navy with on-the-job training in refueling, resupply and repairs far from home. In other words, the Chinese seem to intent on making a good-sized splash in international waters.