China to send warships to fight Somalia piracy

I doubt the Chinese will be afraid to use their guns to kill some islamic pirates. AFP

BEIJING (AFP) — China is preparing to send warships to fight rampant piracy off the coast of Somalia, the government said Thursday, a day after one of its commercial vessels foiled an attack near the African state.

"We are preparing and making arrangements to send naval ships to the Gulf of Aden to protect the sea lanes there," foreign ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao told journalists.

"We will make a formal announcement when the time comes."

Liu's comments come after the state-run Global Times newspaper, citing maritime officials, said China would send two destroyers and a supply ship to the Gulf of Aden to help the international crackdown on piracy there.

The fleet will depart from China's south sea naval base on Hainan island after December 25 for a three-month tour of the Somali coast, the paper said.