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Chinese destroyer sailed through Egypt's Suez Canal into the Mediterranean Sea,
Egyptian daily Al-Shuruk reported on Sunday.
The
destroyer could be on its way to the Syrian coast, the Egyptian newspaper
reported, adding that the warship is planning to hold naval manoeuvres in the
area.
Al
Shuruk daily further claimed that the canal authority authorized the Chinese
ship's crossing through the canal following permission from the Egyptian armed
forces.
Meanwhile,
Egypt's Al-Wafd website reported that high security measures were taken during
the ship's crossing of the canal.
Beijing,
an ally of Syria, has repeatedly blocked Western-backed Security Council
attempts to increase pressure on Syrian President Bashar Assad to end the
violence sparked by a government crackdown on pro-democracy protesters.
Last
month reports claiming that the armies of Iran, China, Russia and Syria are
planning to hold naval manoeuvres in the Mediterranean Sea were circling the
media outlets. According to the report, 90,000 soldiers from the four countries
will take part in the large-scale maritime war games, which will be held off
the Syrian coastline.
In
February, two Iranian naval ships sailed through Egypt's Suez Canal into the
Mediterranean, and according to Iranian reports, the ships docked in Syria.
Just
last month, Russia said that it had dispatched a flotilla of 11 warships to the
eastern Mediterranean, some of which would dock in Syria.
Moscow's
gesture was the largest display of Russian military power in the region since
the Syrian conflict began. Nearly half of the ships were capable of carrying
hundreds of marines.
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