The navy of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) is keen to expand its Indian Ocean footprint, not just to boost anti-piracy deployments but also to extend its presence in strategic areas such as the Middle East and North Africa, according to mainland naval experts.
However, it also wants more support - including logistical help - from major anti-piracy fleets such as European Union naval forces and Nato - assistance foreign naval officers say could be difficult to arrange unless the Chinese show more flexibility.
Song Xiaojun, a Beijing-based PLA naval expert, said the country had long-term strategic interests that went beyond piracy off the Horn of Africa. 'China will definitely want to play a key role and share more responsibilities in protecting maritime trade for the international community in the future,' said Song, a retired naval officer and an editor of a prominent naval magazine. 'Technically, there is no problem for China to send extra warships to Somali waters. The Chinese navy has had three years of anti-piracy experience in the high seas, while we have the military and economic capabilities to do that.
'The key question is, first, if it is worth doing. As China makes bigger contributions to the international community, we should get more support. Are France and other countries ready to provide Chinese warships the necessary logistical back-up? Will EU [naval forces] and Nato strengthen their co-operation with the PLA? Will they even lift the arms embargo on China?
'Indeed, I think that in the long run, not only will China enhance its naval presence in the Somali waters, it will also want to extend to North Africa and the Mediterranean Sea.'
His comments follow a report that China and other navies running independent anti-piracy patrols in the Indian Ocean would be under pressure to send more ships as Western navies struggle to maintain their current deployments.