Two destroyers and a support vessel will leave from Sanya in the southern Chinese island province of Hainan on Friday to join the growing number of international warships fighting piracy off the east African nation's coast, a senior navy official said in Beijing Tuesday.

"We don't have any insurmountable obstacles in patrolling this area," Senior Col. Ma Luping, director of the navy operational bureau under the Headquarters of the General Staff, told reporters.

He said that the vessels might encounter complicated problems during the mission as "the area is far from the Chinese mainland and the situation there is rather complicated.

"But there is nothing we cannot overcome ... we are confident and capable of fulfilling the task," he said at a press briefing held by the Ministry of Defense.

Ma said the navy's major task is to protect the safety of Chinese ships and crews as well as ships carrying humanitarian relief material for international organizations such as the United Nations World Food Program.

The warships will mainly escort Chinese merchant vessels, he said. "Normally, we will not enter other countries' territorial waters to battle pirates."

Piracy along the Somalia coast is a threat to international shipping because the area is one of the busiest marine channels in the world.

Ships registered in China or owned by Chinese companies have been attacked by pirates off the Somalia coast seven times this year. Last Wednesday, the crew of a Chinese cargo ship fought off pirates in the Gulf of Aden with the help of international forces.

According to the International Maritime Organization, more than 120 acts of piracy have occurred in Somali waters, involving more than 30 vessels and 600 crew members.

Xiao Xinnian, deputy chief of staff of the navy force of the People's Liberation Army (PLA), said the decision to dispatch warships "showcased China's positive attitude in fulfilling its international obligations and the country's image as a responsible power.

"It also shows the positive role of the PLA in maintaining world stability and peace as well as the PLA navy's confidence and capability of handling multiple security threats and fulfilling diverse military tasks," he said.

It is estimated that there are about 1,000 pirates in 25 to 30 groups in the Gulf of Aden and waters off Somalia.

Xiao said special troops will be on the warships, which are equipped with missiles, artillery and two helicopters.

"Commanders and soldiers on the three warships are well-trained and they have trained specially for the task," Xiao said. "There will be no problem for them to perform the task."

The vessels will carry most of their own supplies, stopping at some regional ports over the longer term. "We are consulting with relevant countries about the issue," Xiao said.

So far the United States, NATO and other military forces have sent naval forces to this area.

Huang Xueping, spokesman of the Ministry of Defense, said China welcomes international cooperation in fighting Somalian pirates.

"China is ready to exchange information and cooperate with the warships of other countries in performing humanitarian rescue tasks," he said.

So far, the United States has been quite positive about China's move. Pentagon spokesman Maj. Stewart Upton said earlier the United States welcomed China's move.

Huang said China is ready to cooperate with the U.S. military. Bilateral military ties suffered setbacks after the United States announced a weapons sale to Taiwan in October.

The United Nations Security Council last week unanimously adopted a resolution calling on the international community to take an active part in the fight against piracy off the Somali coast.

Editor: Yan