Somali piracy has waned, so why is China’s navy still in the Gulf of Aden?

China sends task force to deepwater gulf of the Indian Ocean to train personnel, test ships and equipment in harsh ocean conditions

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A Chinese naval fleet headed for the Gulf of Aden and Somali waters sets sail earlier this month from its port in Qingdao, China. Photo: Weibo

Published: 3:00pm, 26 Oct 2025Updated: 4:37pm, 26 Oct 2025

A Chinese naval fleet including a guided-missile destroyer, missile frigate and comprehensive supply ship set sail earlier this month from a port in eastern Qingdao, heading to the Gulf of Aden and Somali waters.

It was the 48th escort task group to be sent to the region in a Chinese navy programme that has been helping to protect commercial ships and counter Somali piracy since 2008, when there were numerous attacks by Somali pirates.

Since 2013, however, there have been very few Somali pirate attacks, and in some years none at all. Yet, the Chinese navy has continued to rotate task forces to the Gulf of Aden on a regular basis, maintaining a continuous, uninterrupted anti-piracy deployment.

The Chinese navy has also prolonged its stays, from four or five months to over 10 months in the previous two missions due to extended diplomatic port calls and heightened regional security concerns.

Experts said there was a clear “evolution in duration and sophistication” of the naval escort task groups, with the anti-piracy missions in the Gulf of Aden evolving from a specific security response into a long-term strategic programme capable of transforming the Chinese navy into a modern maritime military force operating in global waters.

David Shinn, a China-Africa expert and professor at George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs, said the task forces gave Beijing a rationale to establish a military base at Djibouti, which became operational in 2017.

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