Escort Missions in the Gulf of Aden
The Gulf of Aden is an important shipping route connecting East Asia - including China - with Western Europe and the east coast of North America, and a vital waterway for Persian Gulf oil shipped to Europe and North America.
As a responsible member of the international community, China dispatched its escort fleet on 33 sailings between 2008 and November 2019, involving a total of 106 warships, 71 helicopters and 27,000 service members, providing escorts for 6,600 Chinese and foreign vessels, in accordance with relevant UN Security Council resolutions and at the request of the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia.
China's fleet conducts escort missions in close coordination with other navies and in strict compliance with international law and UN resolutions, and provides emergency assistance to foreign merchant vessels when necessary. Over half of the vessels escorted were foreign vessels.
China's fleet has also conducted joint escort missions, joint exercises, and exchanges with more than 20 other escort fleets, including those from Russia and the US. Other activities include participation in the search for the missing Malaysian Airlines plane, emergency delivery of freshwater to the Maldives, escort missions for vessels carrying Chinese citizens evacuated from Libya, and the safe evacuation of 621 Chinese citizens and 279 nationals of 15 countries from a Yemen port where fighting was going on.
亚丁湾护航
亚丁湾是连接包括中国在内的东亚国家和西欧及北美东海岸的重要航线，又是波斯湾石油输往欧洲和北美洲的重要水路。中国根据联合国安理会有关决议的安排和索马里过渡政府的请求，自2008年以来，截至2019年11月，累计向亚丁湾海域派出33批护航编队、106艘次舰艇、71架次直升机、2.7万余人次官兵，为6600余艘中外船舶护航，展现了中国负责任大国的担当。护航期间，中国海军护航官兵与各国海军密切合作，严格遵守国际法有关规定和联合国有关决议，积极为外国商船提供应急救援。在中国海军安全护送的船舶中，一半以上是外国船舶。中国海军护航编队先后与俄罗斯、美国等20余个国家护航舰艇开展联合护航、演练、交流与合作，还执行了马航失联航班搜救、为马尔代夫提供淡水等紧急任务，派舰前往地中海对撤离利比亚中国公民的船舶实施护航，前往战火纷飞的也门港口成功将621名中国公民和来自15个国家的279名外国公民安全撤离。