The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy, marking its 77th founding anniversary on Thursday, is assuming a growing role of safeguarding peace at sea and promoting global stability.
With its first escort mission in the Gulf of Aden and Somali waters in 2008, the PLA Navy entered a new chapter of regular overseas operations. In the nearly two decades since, PLA escort fleets have been actively working to ensure security at sea for Chinese and foreign merchant vessels.
"What we protect is not only the safety of Chinese and foreign merchant vessels, but also the common maritime interests of humanity. This is the mission of Chinese soldiers as well as the responsibility of a major country's military," said Yang Hongxuan, a crew member of the PLA Navy's 48th escort task force.
The navy also effectively shouldered the task of evacuating Chinese nationals in conflicts, such as the cases with Yemen in 2015 and Sudan in 2023. "The moment they boarded the warship, waving the national flag and shedding tears, we deeply understood that what we protect is not only our vast maritime territory, but also the safety and dignity of every Chinese person overseas," navy officer Guo Yan recalled an evacuation mission.
The Chinese navy has also sent its hospital ships on medical service missions in many foreign countries over the years. Just recently, a navy medic in Shanghai conducted a health follow-up via video chat with a patient in Seychelles whom she treated during a 2024 mission on the hospital ship Peace Ark.
The patient, facing the risk of hysterectomy due to uterine fibroids at the time, missed the Peace Ark when it was berthing in Seychelles, and traveled to South Africa to catch the Chinese ship for treatment.
In the video call, the Chinese medic gave professional, tailored guidance to the patient based on her postoperative recovery.
"She came all the way to catch our ship, which shows her trust in us. So we ought to do this well. This is also how we show the warmth of us Chinese men and women in uniforms and our attitude of peace and friendship," said Sun Jian, the medic.
"As the Navy journeys from territorial waters into the open ocean, we attach great importance to conducting military medical exchanges and training with officers and soldiers of visited countries in areas such as combat casualty care and disaster rescue, and jointly conducting international maritime humanitarian rescue exercises. We take practical actions to practice the concepts of a maritime community with a shared future and jointly safeguarding this blue home of all humanity," said Professor Zhu Renxin of the Naval Medical University.
China's navy shows dedication to maritime peace in overseas missions
