Chinese anti-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden

Since 2008, China has maintained a standing People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) task force in the Gulf of Aden as an anti-piracy measure in response to piracy off the coast of Somalia. The task force was initially authorized to escort only Chinese ships and ships carrying humanitarian supplies to Somalia; this was later expanded to accept commercial ships from other countries. Escorting Chinese ships in the Red Sea may have begun in January 2024 in response to the Red Sea crisis.

The task force is China's first sustained "far seas" military presence. It provides the PLAN with "invaluable" operational experience, the benefits of which are spread by rotating units from all fleets into the task force.