Law of the Sea - Pirates
Use of Force
Hong Kong
Taiwan

Following attacks by Somali pirates on Chinese merchant ships in the Gulf of Aden, China sent two destroyers and one supply ship to join an international mission against pirates in waters off Somalia. The operation is seen as the first active deployment of Chinese warships beyond the Pacific in the 600 years since Ming dynasty voyager Zheng He's venture to the Cape of Good Hope. While the expedition served clearly to "register the presence of the Chinese Navy", the PLA made clear that the Navy would "strictly abide by relevant UN Security Council resolutions and international law". Rear Admiral Du Jingchen , commander of the mission, said, "We are expected to encounter conflicts where we might have to fire on pirates, but our primary target is not striking them but dispersing them."

The PLA protection extends to Hong Kong ships traversing the waters off Somalia, although only one of the seven early applications for protection from Hong Kong ships was approved. Meanwhile, on its second mission, the PLA Navy escorted a Taiwanese tanker through the Somali waters.