SOMALIA: CHINA'S VIEWS ON COMBATING PIRACY

C O N F I D E N T I A L BEIJING 001168 SIPDIS DEPT FOR EAP/CM, PM/PPA: DONNA HOPKINS E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/30/2029 TAGS: CH MARR MOPS PGOV PHSA PREL SO SUBJECT: SOMALIA: CHINA'S VIEWS ON COMBATING PIRACY REF: STATE 42291 Classified By: Political Minister Counselor Aubrey Carlson. Reasons 1. 4 (b/d). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: China supported the Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia (CGPCS) and would like to improve military coordination but had to maintain sole control of its military operations and avoid a "military hierarchy," an MFA official told POLOFF April 29. The official said China was "cautious" about detaining and prosecuting pirates and supported the use of existing legal instruments to prosecute pirates. China made no new pledges at the April 22-23 Somalia Donors Conference in Brussels, but additional contributions to the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) "are under consideration." End Summary. China Positive about Contact Group -------------- ¶2. (C) China would continue to send representatives from the MFA, Ministry of National Defense (MND) and Ministry of Transportation to attend all CGPCS meetings, MFA International Organizations and Conferences Department UN Affairs Division official Cheng Lie told POLOFF April 29 in response to reftel points encouraging China's active participation in the upcoming CGPCS meeting in New York City. Noting the upsurge in piracy in recent months, Cheng expressed hope for continued progress and improved cooperation between CGPCS members. He reaffirmed China's interest in maintaining the Contact Group as a "loose, flexible mechanism." China Wants Improved Military Coordination -------------- ¶3. (C) Cheng said China would like to improve coordination between militaries involved in anti-piracy operations, commenting that the Working Group meeting in London May 7 would provide a good opportunity to discuss this goal. However, Cheng stressed, he and other Chinese CGPCS representatives had "orders from the highest levels" to ensure that China retained sole control of its military operations and to avoid establishing a "military hierarchy." China would continue "informal exchanges" with other militaries "on an equal basis." China had deployed three naval vessels -- two warships and a supply vessel -- to the Gulf of Aden to serve as a deterrent rather than to engage in military action. Cheng said he was not aware of any plans to increase the number of vessels, noting that a rotation of two new warships had taken place in April while the same supply vessel had remained in the region. China "Cautious" about Prosecuting Pirates -------------- ¶4. (C) Cheng said that prosecuting pirates was a "complicated legal issue" and that China was "cautious" about detaining and prosecuting pirates. He expressed hope that countries in the region could play a positive role in prosecuting pirates and said China supported the use of existing legal instruments such as the Suppression of Unlawful Acts (SUA) Convention rather than the creation of special courts to prosecute pirates. Additional Contributions to AMISOM "Under Consideration" -------------- -------------- ¶5. (C) China made no new pledges at the April 22-23 Somalia Donors Conference in Brussels, but additional contributions to AMISOM "are under consideration," said Cheng. He said China had provided AMISOM $600,000 in assistance over the last two years, as well as bilateral contributions to Burundi and Uganda to support their forces in AMISOM. Cheng said China supported the U.S. proposal to establish a UN peacekeeping operation in Somalia but noted that the security situation was not currently stable enough for a transition from AMISOM to a UN peacekeeping mission. PICCUTA