Indian Navy photo of Indian warship with OS 35.
Posted on 04/10/2017 7:35:39 PM PDT by sukhoi-30mki
BEIJING—China’s navy says its forces rescued a freighter from attack by pirates in the Gulf of Aden over the weekend. Missing from the report was any mention of the participation of the Indian navy, which says it dispatched four ships and a helicopter to provide cover for the action.
The omission was likely no accident. Deep distrust persists between the two nuclear-armed Asian giants, and in recent days, China has angrily denounced New Delhi over a visit by exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama to an Indian border area that China claims as its own territory.
Asked about that lack of mention of India’s part in the operation, Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying referred questions to the defence ministry, where no spokesman was immediately available for comment.
“We believe the aforementioned operation demonstrated the effectiveness of China’s naval forces in the field of fighting against pirates, as well as China’s image as a responsible major country in safeguarding regional peace and stability,” Hua told reporters at a daily news briefing on Monday.
“We are always positive toward international counter-piracy operations,” she added.
No casualties or damage were reported in the incident, which unfolded between Saturday night and early Sunday morning.
The Chinese navy’s statement said a distress signal was received late Saturday from the captain of the Tuvalu-flagged OS35 saying it was under attack by an unknown number of pirates aboard a single boat. Steaming to the area, the missile frigate Yulin then circled the ship while its helicopter hovered above.
The statement said 16 members of the Chinese special forces were lowered onto the ship by helicopter at dawn Sunday and released the 19 crew members from the strong room where they had taken shelter, while also searching the ship to ensure there were no
(Excerpt) Read more at thestar.com ...
Indian Navy photo of Indian warship with OS 35.
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