CHINA-PLA NAVY-ESCORT MISSION-15 YEARS (CN)

(231228) -- BEIJING, Dec. 28, 2023 (Xinhua) -- The guided-missile destroyer Urumqi (front) and the comprehensive replenishment vessel Dongpinghu (back) of the 45th escort mission fleet dispatched by the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy escort Chinese fishing boats on Oct. 20, 2023. Since December 2008, China has been dispatching naval ships to carry out vessel protection operations in the Gulf of Aden and the waters off Somalia. Over the past 15 years, 45 consecutive fleets, 150 vessels and 35,000 personnel of the PLA Navy have joined the efforts, escorting more than 7,200 Chinese and foreign vessels, including 12 World Food Program ships. TO GO WITH "China Focus: Chinese navy's 15-year quest for peace in Gulf of Aden, waters off Somalia" (Photo by Wang Yuanfang/Xinhua)