China offers ASEAN joint effort to counter piracy

China has offered to hold joint patrols with ASEAN countries to escort vessels from the region crossing the Gulf of Aden in the wake of rampant Somali piracy.
“China offered [ASEAN countries] a coordinated convoy to escort merchant vessels crossing the Gulf of Aden for their safety. If any ASEAN countries are willing to be part of that convoy headed by China‘s Navy, they should let China know,” Malaysian Defense Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi told a press conference in Jakarta on Friday on the sidelines of the ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting.
[Read More]
Source: The Jakarta Post