Chinese navy escort fleet sails to Gulf of Aden for rotation mission

The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy's 48th escort fleet sailed from a naval port in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province, on Saturday morning to carry out escort missions in the Gulf of Aden and the waters off Somalia.

The fleet comprises the guided-missile destroyer Tangshan, the guided-missile frigate Daqing, and the comprehensive supply ship Taihu.

The ships cast off their moorings and pulled away from the dock at 9:00.

"The 48th escort fleet will sail to the Gulf of Aden and the waters off Somalia to replace the 47th escort fleet and carry out escort missions. The Chinese naval fleet will take concrete actions to practice the concept of building a maritime community with a shared future in maintaining safety of international sea lanes and regional peace and stability," said Jiang Bin, a spokesman for the Ministry of National Defense, at a press conference in Beijing on Friday.

"Having been able to carry out this escort mission, I deeply feel the weight of our responsibility and glory of our mission. We will strictly follow the discipline and rules, hone our combat capabilities, and use the distant seas and open ocean as a vast training ground to constantly enhance our ability to carry out diverse missions," said Zhang Lei, a crew member of the guided-missile frigate Daqing.

In preparation for the mission, the fleet conducted intensive, full-spectrum, combat-oriented training exercises, including live-fire drills, convoy escort simulations, and replenishment operations.

The exercises effectively tested the feasibility of operational plans and improved coordination among units, significantly boosting the fleet's overall readiness and mission execution capability.

The PLA Navy began conducting escort missions in the Gulf of Aden and the waters off Somalia in December 2008.

Chinese navy escort fleet sails to Gulf of Aden for rotation mission

A growing number of Chinese energy companies are increasing their presence in the Persian Gulf as they get deeply involved in the region's energy transition.

As a highlight of China-Gulf cooperation, green energy projects carried out by Chinese companies in Gulf states gained spotlight at the 18th World Future Energy Summit, which took place from Wednesday to Thursday in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

A shining example is the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park in Dubai. As one of the largest single-site solar parks in the world, the solar thermal plant is a key project to help Dubai achieve its carbon reduction goals and significantly increase the share of clean energy in the city's power mix.

"Upon completion in 2030, it will exceed 8,000 megawatts, and it will reduce 8.5 million tons of carbon emmissions on an annual basis. And it will raise Dubai's clean energy capacity up to 36 percent," said Ali Hayat, a senior engineer of the project.

In recent years, more and more Chinese energy product suppliers have transitioned to a new role as investors by building plants and regional offices in the Gulf region to deepen their participation in local energy transition.

"China has been absurdly in the lead in both ways -- in providing technologies that make the cost of solar panel to be affordable around the world, and also in an amazing increase of the share of renewable energy in the energy system," said Francesco La Camera, director-general of the International Renewable Energy Agency.

Chinese companies seek greater role in Gulf states' energy transition