An anti-piracy task force of the Chinese navy is headed for Africa in the nation's first potential combat mission beyond its territorial waters in centuries.
It marks a new chapter for the modern Chinese navy, which has focused on the defence of coastal waters, combined with the occasional friendly port call.
The destroyer Shen Zhen docked at Portsmouth Naval Base on its first official visit to the UK by the Chinese navy in September 2001.
Only in 2002 did it circumnavigate the globe for the first time.
The navy has been drawn to Africa by an escalation of pirate attacks on merchant ships, including Chinese vessels, plying the crucial shipping route linking Asia and Europe.
The three vessels on the mission, the missile-armed destroyers DDG-171 Haikou and DDG-169 Wuhan and the Weishanhu supply ship, are among China's most sophisticated and have all entered service this decade, Xinhua said.
They will operate alongside other international warships patrolling the area near the Gulf of Aden, part of the Suez Canal route.
