Recently, a Chinese fishing vessel had been hijacked by a group of armed offenders in the waters off the coast of Puntland, Somalia. With the unremitting efforts of all parties concerned, the vessel and its crew were safely rescued on 2nd March. 

The Chinese side strongly condemns this blatantly vicious action which threatened the safety of the crew and international navigation security, and will continue to take all necessary means to resolutely safeguard the lawful rights of Chinese citizens and enterprises overseas as well as work with relevant parties to ensure the international navigation security.

During the incident, the Chinese side maintained close consultation and coordination with the Federal Government of Somalia as well as the state government of Puntland. The Somali side reaffirmed that the Chinese fishing vessels have been operating in Somali waters with the permission of the Federal Government of Somalia and related state governments, and their activities are fully in compliance with the laws and regulations.

The Somali side also emphasized that it attaches great importance to addressing the security concern of the Chinese side, and stands ready to further advance the mutually beneficial cooperation in various fields such as fishery which brings substantial benefits to the two peoples and Somalia.

China and Somalia have profound traditional friendship. Any attempts to undermine or disrupt China-Somalia cooperation are bound to go in vain. The Chinese side will continue to work jointly with the Somali side to foster practical cooperation in various fields and consolidate as well as deepen the traditional friendship, so as to score more and more achievements in the development of China-Somalia strategic partnership.