The Chinese Ministry of Defense said the Navy’s 46th Escort Task Force, currently on an anti-piracy mission, has been intensively conducting specialized drills to hone capabilities in counter-terrorism, anti-piracy, armed rescue, and joint search and rescue operations.
Despite a global decline in piracy rates, it persists in the Gulf of Aden, owing to geopolitical instability and economic incentives for Somali pirate groups. Somali pirates have resumed hijacking operations, using fishing boats as "mother ships" to target passing commercial ships with skiffs, particularly ones with weak defense systems.
The ongoing regional conflict, particularly involving Houthi attacks and Iranian-backed groups, has also destabilized the Gulf of Aden, further threatening commercial shipping.