The coalition of countries patrolling the sea lanes in response to the outbreak of piracy there was not involved in the incident, said Lt.

CNN: Pirates hijack German-owned ship in Gulf of Aden

If China cannot have a grown-up discussion with America about something as clear-cut as the attack on the Cheonan, how much greater will be the danger of miscommunication in the event of something hitherto unthinkable happening: an outbreak of war, say, a nuclear incident, or the collapse of the regime.

ECONOMIST: Dealing with North Korea: The nightmare scenario | The

"When a very similar incident occurred in India recently, there was a massive outbreak of protest and mass demonstrations in the streets, " Cosatu spokesman Patrick Craven said, AFP news agency reports.

BBC: Jacob Zuma (file photo)