A Chinese navy task force has finished visits to four Persian Gulf states as the nation’s increasingly capable maritime force expands its presence in the strategically vital region. The three ships departed from Kuwait on Sunday after stopping in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, the Defence Ministry said on its website on Monday. They had previously completed an assignment escorting commercial shipping and patrolling for pirates in the Gulf of Aden, the 24th Chinese task force to be dispatched for such duties since Beijing joined the multinational effort in December 2008. China’s navy has used the patrols to build its capacity to operate far from home ports and expand its use of the military as a tool of diplomacy following the model of other major nations.
