ABSTRACT

The first deployment of naval forces by the EU and China along side the US, NATO, Russia, India and Japan - to fight upsurge of piracy off the coast of Somalia represents an unprecedented phenomenon with tremendous political ramifications. While the EU is conducting the largest operation in the area and contributed to propel an international dynamic, China's deployment is more modest but no less groundbreaking. These naval operations have a common objective that linked to the willingness to protect the respective fundamental economic interests of EU and China, especially in and around Africa. Moreover, they serve as essential acid-tests for the new military dimension that both players added to their foreign policy toolkits, as well as an opportunity to assert themselves as major, yet responsible actors, on the global stage. The EU developing rather rapidly a stronger and more autonomous Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP), as exemplified by the numerous missions of both a military and civilian character.