China’s Anti-Piracy Mission in the Gulf of Aden: Implications for Anti-Piracy in the South China Sea

The dramatic rise of piracy in the waters off of Somalia in 2008, combined with United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions designed to empower other nations to fight that piracy, presented China with an historic opportunity to deploy a naval force to the Gulf of Aden. This chapter examines the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN)’s Gulf of Aden mission and its implications for counterpiracy operations in the South China Sea.