The United States has accused Chinese ships in the Gulf of Aden of failing to help an Israeli ship that was attacked by Somali pirates on Sunday, according to the Pentagon.
A commercial ship sailing under the flag of Liberia called Central Park, which initially appeared to have been targeted by the missiles fired by the Houthi rebels in Yemen, sent a distress call to the air.
The United States and unnamed allies prevented the attack by a group of Somali pirates who wanted to capture the ship, according to the US Central Command.
At least 3 Chinese Navy ships were in the area. The press secretary of the US Department of Defense, Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, said that they did not give any answer.
The accusations against the Chinese navy for not taking any action may raise questions about China’s responsibility in international waters.
China has been operating a naval base in Djibouti since 2017 to assist in anti-piracy operations.
In October, two Chinese warships arrived in the Gulf of Aden in the Somali Sea to escort commercial vessels.
