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Chinese warships in the Mediterranean
Tuesday 7 August 2012
With the Syrian situation hotting up, Beijing couldn’t have chosen a curiouser moment to show the flag in the Eastern Mediterranean and pay “friendly calls” on NATO countries. Two Chinese warships including a guided missile destroyer arrived in Istanbul Sunday on a 4-day visit to Turkey in the first such call since 2002.
Another Chinese naval flotilla also entered the Black Sea to arrive at the Bulgarian port of Varna Sunday on a 5-day “goodwill visit”, the first-ever visit of Chinese navy ships to Bulgaria. Earlier, on July 27, when the Chinese flotilla passed through the Suez Canal, israeli media speculated that the war ships were to hold “naval military drills” with Syria, but the ministry of defence in Beijing issued a crisp denial.
A Xinhua commentary on Friday underscored that the Syrian government’s overall standing in the international community has weakened. Referring to the resolution on Syria passed by the UN General Assembly earlier that day, Xinhua noted, “It meant many countries in the world were unsatisfied with the developments on the Syrian ground, and were calling for more efforts from the government to reduce violence and restore stability.”
The commentary (here) said the UNGA resolution will “still increase the pressure on the government.” It added, “The Assad administration, embattled in a fierce war against the opposition at home, is encountering more suspicion and accusation from the outside.” Interestingly, it used the word “insurgency”.
Equally, the commentary mentioned that the UNGA resolution met with “significant opposition” and singled out Russia, but omitted any reference to the Chinese stance as such. The commentary appeared even as a high-level delegation from Damascus travelled to Moscow seeking aid. On Saturday, Moscow agreed to supply oil to Syria and to consider a Syrian request for credit.
Posted in Diplomacy, Military, Politics.
Tagged with China Syria.
By M K Bhadrakumar – August 6, 2012
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