China PLA stationed up to 6 warships in Middle East over past week amid rising tensions from Israel-Gaza war: reports
- The arrival of a replacement escort group in the Gulf region meant two advanced 052D destroyers have been stationed there at a time of heightened tensions
- The PLA’s 44th task force arrived in Kuwait for a five-day visit on Wednesday after spending several days in Oman’s capital Muscat
Up to six Chinese warships have been operating in the Middle East over the past week, according to reports.
The 44th naval escort task force has been involved in routine operations in the area since May and arrived in Kuwait for a five-day visit on Wednesday, according to the Chinese defence ministry website.
The task force left Oman’s capital Muscat on Saturday after spending several days there last week, including a joint exercise with the country’s navy, state media reported.
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During the visit, Chinese commanders met Omani military officials and visited military institutions, while sailors from both countries toured each other’s shops. They also organised a basketball game, according to the state news agency Xinhua.
It has been involved in escort missions for shipping since arriving in the Gulf of Aden north of Somalia six months ago and handed over its mission to the 45th escort task force earlier this month.
The new convoy, from the PLA’s Northern Theatre command, consists of another Type 052 destroyer, the Urumqi; the frigate Linyi and supply ship Dongpinghu.
The Linyi took part in its first mission, escorting a Panamanian cargo ship in an unknown location, earlier this month, according to Xinhua.
The recent tour was the destroyer Zibo’s first escort mission since it was commissioned in January 2020. The Urumqi was commissioned in early 2018 and was involved in another escort mission in the Gulf of Aden two years ago.
The Type 052D destroyers carry advanced radar and electronic equipment comparable with the US Aegis system and a 64-cell vertical missile launcher.
The naval presence means that six Chinese vessels were operating in Middle Eastern waters as tensions mounted in the region.
Chinese authorities have played down the implications of the presence.
“The naval formation of the People’s Liberation Army is carrying out escort missions and is paying friendly visits to the countries concerned,” said Liu Pengyu, a spokesman for China’s embassy in the United States, said in a statement quoted by a report on Monday by Russian state news agency Sputnik.
In the wake of the attack by Hamas on Israel on October 7, the US sent its most advanced carrier the USS Gerald R Ford and its battle group to the eastern Mediterranean.
The Dwight D Eisenhower carrier strike group is also on its way to the region. On Wednesday, the Pentagon announced the deployment of an additional command ship, the USS Mount Whitney, to the eastern Mediterranean.
Several countries, including Britain, Germany and France, have sent military or civilian planes to evacuate their nationals from Israel.
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Previous Chinese evacuations in the Middle East having used escort warships of the type currently in the region.
In May, China sent a supply ship and a Type 052D destroyer to Sudan to evacuate more than 1,000 Chinese, Brazilians and Pakistanis from armed conflicts.
In 2015, Chinese warships evacuated 225 foreigners and nearly 600 Chinese nationals from Yemen.
