Germany proposes fighting pirates with China

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-11-24 17:03

BEIJING -- A visiting German navy general said here Monday that his country would like to cooperate with China in containing pirates and other nontraditional threats.

"It is widely recognized that terrorism is a big challenge confronting the world. But pirates, which we believed had perished, are still wrecking havoc," German Navy Inspector General Wolfgang Nolting told Chinese Defense Minister Liang Guanglie.

Liang responded by reviewing the latest hijacks by Somali pirates in the Indian Ocean.

Somali pirates have drawn worldwide attention by capturing several vessels this month, including the Saudi supertanker, the Sirius Star.

"I think navies of Germany and China should work together to fight against pirates," Nolting said.

Liang said, "We should pay more attention to the non-traditional security threats."

But the two gave no details on how the two navies would cooperate in this field.

In their half-hour talk in Diaoyutai Guesthouse in downtown Beijing, Liang hailed the China-Germany military ties as "increasingly deepening," citing frequent high-level visits, smooth dialogue and deeper cooperation in specialist fields.

Liang said China would like to make the most of military ties with Germany.

Nolting arrived in Beijing on Sunday. He will also visit eastern China's coastal cities of Shanghai and Qingdao.