Piracy on the High Seas - part 1
“Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait for oil. If we were agricultural he couldn’t come near us. To him, it was simple greed. And we thought, as Kuwaitis, that once Saddam did the invasion, that all the other countries would come to our rescue. And this was the sad awakening: they didn’t. As a matter of fact, some of them took sides with Saddam. The alternative was to go to a superpower. The United States was the alternative.”
⁃ Jassim Qabazard. Kuwait, Civil Engineer. The World Without US documentary, 2011.
“South Sudan became independent from the rest of Sudan by referendum in 2011, and its strongest foreign partner is China. That country buys 82% of South Sudan’s oil exports and provides infrastructural development investments. Indeed, China was a major player in securing the peaceful partition of Sudan last decade, as the largest trading partner of both states.”
⁃ Bill Humphrey, The Globalist, December 19, 2013
“In conclusion I believe that the Chinese involvement in Somalia, however small it may be, is a sign that that the non-interventionist approaches adopted by China since the end of the Cold War is now clashing with its increased interests in other areas of the world, particularly in Africa.”
⁃ Luke Butcher, E-International Relations Students, June 15, 2011
***
Deep inside the halls of a secret meeting room, secretly connected via underground tunnel to the Peoples Great Hall, met a number of significantly ranked officials of the Central Committee of the Communist Part of China. Li Chunhua, an Alternate Member with aspirations of finding his way to Full Member, listened intently to one of the Vice-Admirals of the Chinese Navy’s West Fleet. Vice Admiral Hongqi Yuan was detailing the specifics of anti-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden. As a permanent member of the UN Security Council, what was to be discussed here would be a breach of numerous international laws. Some might say it was treason to the UN. But how could it be treason if it wasn’t a nation? Especially if it was a nation you were not a part of.
Yuan finished his words, ”... to which the West Fleet concludes operations along the coast of South Africa. We are, without question, publicly in compliance with all UN laws.”
“This means, Vice Admiral, that any efforts to disrupt’s the West’s oil shipments must be done in the most clandestine of measures. The Americans will be trouble enough if they find out about us and conflict ensues. The entire West? All of NATO? That would be too much for us. China cannot be seen as an aggressor here,” spoke one of the Full Members, Chen He. He was the Deputy Chief of the Central Military Commission Joint Staff.
“Correct. We have a plan that involves using a formerly disgraced Captain of the Jinan Military Region Special Forces Unit: Captain Gu Xi Zhao,” Yuan stated.
Li recognized that name. Zhao was a disgraced officer and “sidelined” - to use an American term - for his failure to push back a raiding force across the China-India border. Officially speaking the raiders were simple terrorists, attacking beyond China’s red line to sow discontent. In reality, which everyone in this room knew to be true despite the lack of evidence, was that the Indian Army had sent a small team across the border to test China’s resolve. To see just how far they could push the line. Zhao, who had been Captain of the local regional forces, had failed to capture or kill a single invader. It was disgraceful and disgusting. It had made China look like fools. Every single opportunity to show resilience in the public eye had to be capitalized on, else it could erode China’s credibility on the world stage.
“Capitalized” - the word ran through Li’s mind. He mentally shuddered at the word. How very... American. But the word fit the point, so he didn’t dwell on it.
Li spoke up, “I know of Captain Zhao. I was the one who sat on the Regional Party Judicial Council when he was brought to trial. Why do we choose him? Have his past failures not been enough?”
Yuan nodded in acknowledgement, “Those failures are precisely why we’re picking him. He is disgraced and we can make the documentation to confirm it. That should only be necessary if he’s captured, however. That is an unlikely outcome as he won’t be directly involved in the raids on the American oil tankers.”
“This is indeed an plan of subterfuge. What is the general plan?” Li asked.
“Using one of the new Type 41 small-crew stealth boats Captain Zhao will head up an operation to hire or otherwise enlist local Somali pirate lords to stage a raid upon an American tanker. It doesn’t matter which one so long as it has oil aboard. The plan is to have the pirates raid the vessel, kill the entire crew, and damage it so that it leaks the crude oil into the Gulf of Aden. This will make American crews look incompetent, the resulting natural damage will be blamed on the American company, and by extension, America itself. The West Fleet will come in to assist in humanitarian efforts and to clean up the resultant oil spill. Sanctions, tarrifs, or some other financial punishment shall be placed on American shipping interests in the area. It is a win-win scenario for China,” Yuan said.
“And yet there is great danger. The West Fleets will not be directly involved?” Li asked.
“Correct. West Fleet will treat any pirate vessels it encounters under UN international law. That includes Captain Zhao as during this operation he’ll be treated as a rogue element: a man disgraced from the military, viewed dishonorably among his peers, but yet remains loyal to China. He’ll be seen as a vigilante, if capture. There will be no ties to China nor the Party,” Yuan explained.
“Then how would he explain the Type 41 stealth boat?”
“He won’t have to. Aside from not being directly involved, unless absolutely necessary, the boat can be scuttled and her main navigation computer destroyed. No one will know the vessel even exists,” Yuan said confidently.
Li wasn’t so sure. Yet he was sure that if the Americans continued to receive oil form the Middle East - oil better suited to serving China’s interests - then when the day came for open war it would be easier to have the Middle East leaders side with China. Li looked to Chen He. The older man nodded.
“Do what must be done,” Chen He told the Vice Admiral. “May I ask: what happens if Zhao isn’t successful and is able to avoid capture?”
“Zhao will be given special orders that any Chinese captain on any Chinese naval ship will understand. He will be returned home after he’s able to securely communicate with the Party,” Yuan explained, pushing his glasses up on his nose.
“So be it. Li, you will go to the Jinan training base and provide Captain Zhao his orders. It would be suspicious for a Full Member to be noted as meeting with a Special Forces officers. We can’t send one of the local leaders as they aren’t yet in a position of absolute trust among the Party,” Chen He spoke.
Li inclined his head, “I understand and will obey.”
***
Captain Gu Xi Zhao was in a secure room at his training station for the Jinan Military Region Special Forces Unit - known as the “Eagle Soldiers” for the masses due to the propoganda systems. Zhao was looking over the orders for his new assignment.
Finally. The Party has decided to give favor to me, again. Zhao’s mind raced silently as he read the orders.
The mission was clandestine, dangerous, and one of many highly secret operations being carried out by the PLA’s Special Operations Forces groups. The goal was simple: arm local dissidents and hinder American oil exports. Outwardly it would appear to be piracy. The truth was closer to open warfare.
As he read the forms in front of him, a member of the Party watched him. A lower member named Li Chunhua had delivered the orders. A politician who undoubtedly was on the rise within the Party. It was not lost on Zhao that this mission was designed to be one in which China could denounce him as a loose cannon, a rogue, who was displeased with the Party’s punishment of him given his failures.
This was partly true: the Party had punished him for failure to stop Indian raiders from crossing the border. Zhao, however, accepted his dishonorable conduct. He hadn’t been zealous enough, he hadn’t been fast enough, and he hadn’t been strong enough to defeat China’s long time friend-and-enemy to which they shared a border. Since the Party couldn’t make China look weak the truth was never reported to the outside world. Nonetheless, the commander of China’s defensive unit - Gu Xi Zhao - would still need some punitive action taken against him. And so Zhao had been relegated to commanding the training brigade in the Jinan Region.
But Zhao was relegated no longer. He had another chance. He was exactly the tool China needed for the Party’s aims - and he would not fail this time. Zhao would intercept and annihilate his enemy. The fallout from the loss of enough cargo would make America a laughing stock in the UN, paving the road for greater Chinese involvement.
Upon finishing the reading of his orders Zhao placed the papers onto the small desk in the room. He saluted the Party member vigorously, “I accept my orders and will succeed!”
Li Chunhua, not being in the military, didn’t salute the Captain back. He stood and nodded, “China needs you more than ever, Captain Zhao. China also needs there to be no evidence of our involvement. See that you do not fail us.”
“I will succeed, for the glory of China,” Zhao confirmed with less volume but no less dedication.