China Sending Navy to Gulf of Aden

For the first time, China is deploying warships to the Gulf of Aden, off the coasts of Somalia and Yemen, far from its own shores.

Li Jie, a military strategist and naval expert, told the state-run newspaper China Daily that cooperating with a multinational force operating against East African pirates would be a “very good opportunity” for the Chinese Navy.

“Apart from fighting pirates,” he said, “another key goal is to register the presence of the Chinese Navy.”

That's quite far from home. Let's see if Pakistan offers Gwadar to support Chinese naval operations.