Keep the mission in mind and move toward deep blue guardian peace
——A summary of the 15th anniversary of the Chinese Navy’s escort mission to the Gulf of Aden and waters off Somalia
■Mo Xiaoliang, Sun Fei, PLA reporter Qian Xiaohu
This is an ordinary escort – on December 4, 2023, the 45th escort fleet of the Chinese Navy safely escorted the Portuguese cargo ship “United Heavy Crane” and the Panamanian cargo ship “Hailan Zhisheng” to the rescue point;
This is an extraordinary node – from 2008 to now, 15 years after winter and summer, the Chinese naval escort fleet has completed 1,600 escort missions.
In 2008, at the request of the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia, the United Nations Security Council called on and authorized member states to conduct escort missions in the Gulf of Aden and waters off Somalia. On December 26 of the same year, the first batch of escort fleets of the Chinese Navy set sail from Sanya. Since then, the bilingual broadcast in Chinese and English of “I am a Chinese naval escort taskforce. If you need help, please call me on channel 16” has become a highly trusted “voice of peace” for Chinese and foreign merchant ships passing through the waters.
In October 2023, my 45th escort fleet escorted a number of Chinese fishing boats.Photo by Wang Yuanfang
Groups of formations, ships, and officers and soldiers rushed to the Gulf of Aden and the waters of Somalia in succession. A new chapter of escorting the interests of the motherland, escorting the safety of ships and safeguarding world peace and tranquility is written in the high seas and oceans.
The Gulf of Aden guards the throat from the Indian Ocean to the Red Sea. Tens of thousands of merchant ships pass through it every year, making it one of the busiest sea areas in the world. Once upon a time, rampant pirates turned this place into a “sea of terror”. In 2008 alone, more than 30 ships were hijacked and more than 600 crew members were kidnapped.
In the past 15 years, the Chinese Navy has dispatched 45 escort fleets with more than 150 ships, completing more than 1,600 escort missions for more than 7,200 ships, of which more than 50% are foreign ships… Behind the heavy achievements, thrilling or heart-warming stories continue to unfold. ——
On April 8, 2017, the Tuvaluan merchant ship “OS35” was hijacked by pirates. After learning about it, the Yulin ship of the 25th escort taskforce immediately maneuvered to the sea area where the incident occurred at high speed. Special operations team members boarded a merchant ship, captured three pirates, and successfully rescued 19 trapped crew members;
On April 24, 2020, the voyage sailing ship “Deep Blue” encountered the 34th escort formation in the Gulf of Aden, and the Weishan Lake ship actively invited it to join the formation. This move brought “full sense of security” and was praised by countless netizens;
On April 2, 2022, when the Yueyang ship of the 40th escort fleet was escorting three fishing boats of a company, all the crew members of the fishing boats held high the five-star red flag and waved to salute the escorting officers and soldiers. This is the eighth time the escort fleet has escorted the company’s fishing vessels in the Gulf of Aden;
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In the turbulent Gulf of Aden, the Chinese naval escort fleet, flying the five-star red flag, protects Chinese and foreign merchant ships with a responsible attitude and excellent quality, becoming a trustworthy force of peace in nearby waters and in the hearts of the local people.
“This blue planet that we humans live on is not divided into isolated islands by the ocean, but is connected by the ocean into a community with a shared future. People of all countries share weal and woe.” President Xi’s important concept of a community with a shared future for the ocean is kept in mind by the escort officers and soldiers. . While escorting Chinese and foreign ships, the Chinese naval escort fleet has stepped forward many times at critical moments to provide public security products to the international community.
On April 24, 2023, an order was sent across the mountains and seas to the 43rd escort taskforce Nanning and Weishanhu. The two ships immediately turned on full power and rushed to Port Sudan to perform the emergency evacuation of our personnel in Sudan. This is the third time the Chinese Navy has sent warships to perform overseas evacuation missions, following the evacuation operations in Libya in 2011 and the evacuation operations in Yemen in 2015.
“Please rest assured, we are here, everyone is safe!” On the pier, the formation commander’s powerful words calmed the uneasiness of the evacuees. The Chinese navy not only safely evacuated 940 Chinese citizens from Port Sudan, but also evacuated 231 foreign personnel. At that time, one of the evacuees, Khawal from Pakistan, said excitedly: “Thank you China, we love you!”
Undertaken the escort mission of the World Food Program ship, urgently dispatched ships to carry out the joint search and rescue mission of the missing Malaysian Airlines flight, and provided fresh water to the Maldives… In the past 15 years, the Chinese Navy has time and again demonstrated the responsibility of a major power military with practical actions to safeguard peace and tranquility.
More than 600 years ago, Zheng He made seven voyages to the Pacific and Indian Oceans, sowing the seeds of peace and friendship. Today, China is as determined as ever to safeguard world peace. The Chinese naval escort fleet, which is moving forward in relay and moving towards the deep blue, will continue to keep its mission in mind, actively fulfill its international responsibilities and obligations, and play a greater role in ensuring the safety of important international waterways and maintaining international and regional peace and stability.
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2023-12-25 22:39:56
