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

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)

CHINA-SHANDONG-QINGDAO-NAVAL FLEET-ESCORT MISSION (CN)

CHINA-SHANDONG-QINGDAO-NAVAL FLEET-ESCORT MISSION (CN)

(230912) -- QINGDAO, Sept. 12, 2023 (Xinhua) -- The 45th fleet of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy sets sail from a military port in the coastal city of Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province, Sept. 12, 2023, to take over an escort mission from the 44th naval fleet in the Gulf of Aden and the waters off Somalia. TO GO WITH "China's 45th naval fleet sets sail for escort mission in Gulf of Aden" (Photo by Wang Yuanfang/Xinhua)

CHINA-SHANDONG-QINGDAO-NAVAL FLEET-ESCORT MISSION (CN)

CHINA-SHANDONG-QINGDAO-NAVAL FLEET-ESCORT MISSION (CN)

(230912) -- QINGDAO, Sept. 12, 2023 (Xinhua) -- The 45th fleet of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy for an escort mission in the Gulf of Aden and the waters off Somalia carries out training on Aug. 24, 2023. TO GO WITH "China's 45th naval fleet sets sail for escort mission in Gulf of Aden" (Photo by Wang Yuanfang/Xinhua)

CHINA-SHANDONG-QINGDAO-NAVAL FLEET-ESCORT MISSION (CN)

CHINA-SHANDONG-QINGDAO-NAVAL FLEET-ESCORT MISSION (CN)

(230912) -- QINGDAO, Sept. 12, 2023 (Xinhua) -- The 45th fleet of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy for an escort mission in the Gulf of Aden and the waters off Somalia carries out training on Aug. 25, 2023. TO GO WITH "China's 45th naval fleet sets sail for escort mission in Gulf of Aden" (Photo by Wang Yuanfang/Xinhua)