China on Monday said their naval forces had thwarted an attempt by pirates to hijack a Tuvaluan bulk carrier, OS 35, in the Gulf of Aden, but failed to mention the Indian Navy’s role in the operation. On Sunday, the Indian Navy had said that the two naval forces had worked together as they responded to the alert sent out by the United Kingdom’s Maritime Trade Organisation.

A statement from the Chinese Defence Ministry on Sunday said the People’s Liberation Army Navy’s vessel Yulin had conducted an investigation aboard the vessel. It added that 16 members of the Chinese naval forces had rescued the crew of the Tuvaluan ship that was hijacked by pirates on Sunday, the statement added.

However, New Delhi on Sunday had said that the Indian Navy’s helicopters had provided aerial cover while the Chinese Navy had sanitised the Tuvaluan ship. The Navy had said the INS Mumbai, INS Tarkash, INS Trishul and INS Aditya were deployed in the operation.

“In a show of international maritime cooperation against piracy, a boarding party from the nearby Chinese Navy ship went on board the merchant ship, while the Indian Naval helicopter provided air cover for the operation. It has been established that all 19 Filipino crew members are safe,” the Indian Navy said in a statement.

When asked about India’s role in the operation, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying only repeated her statement, reported India Today. “We believe the aforementioned operation demonstrated the effectiveness of Chinese naval forces in fighting against piracy,” she said. Hua, who further said that China is open to international cooperation to fight piracy, did not mention anything about the joint operation.

The Chinese rebuff comes amid tension between the two countries over the Dalai Lama’s visit to Arunachal Pradesh. On April 5, Beijing had lodged an official protest against the spiritual leader’s visit to India. “New Delhi inviting the Dalai Lama to sensitive region gravely damages the China-India relationship,” China had said.