Aden (South24) 

China has announced the dispatch of a new naval fleet to escort ships and protect international navigation in the Gulf of Aden.

The fleet set sail from a military port in Zhoushan, east China's Zhejiang province, on Sunday to take over the escort mission from the previous fleet in the Gulf of Aden and waters off Somalia, Xinhua reported.

The 47th naval fleet includes a guided missile destroyer, a missile frigate and a supply ship. It carries more than 700 officers and soldiers, two helicopters and more than 10 special forces members on board.

Before its departure, the fleet conducted training that focused on armed rescue of hijacked merchant ships, counter-terrorism and anti-piracy, as well as the practical use of weapons, Xinhua said.

Chinese officials have repeatedly condemned attacks by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi militia on commercial and civilian ships transiting the Bab al-Mandab Strait.

In May, the Chinese Foreign Ministry called for an end to attacks on civilian vessels in the Red Sea and to ensure the safety of navigation there, during a meeting between Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his Yemeni counterpart, Shayea Al-Zindani, in Beijing.

The Houthi attacks mainly target ships linked to Israel, the United States and United Kingdom.

However, on March 23, 2024, the US Central Command said that the Houthis fired four anti-ship ballistic missiles in the Red Sea near the M/V Huang Pu, a Chinese-owned and Chinese-operated oil tanker flying the Panama flag.

Bloomberg claimed in a report published in March 2024 that China and Russia had reached an agreement with the Houthis to ensure safe passage for their ships transiting the Gulf of Aden, Bab al-Mandab and the Red Sea.