China's Navy and the Anti-Piracy Operation in the Gulf of Aden

The Naval War College Review published in its Winter 2015 edition an analysis titled "China's Blue Soft Power: Antipiracy, Engagement, and Image Enhancement" by Andrew Erickson, professor at the Naval War College in Newport, and Austin Strange, PhD student at Harvard. 

This is an excellent study of the origins, operations, and future of the People's Liberation Army Navy anti-piracy deployment in the Gulf of Aden since 2008. 

Somali Piracy, China and the US

Andrew Erickson, associate professor in the Strategic Research Department at the US Naval War College, and Austin Strange, a researcher at the China Maritime Studies Institute of the Strategic Research Department, collaborated on an article in the Spring/Summer 2012 issue of the Harvard Asia Quarterly on China's role in combating Somali piracy and its implications for wider naval involvement.

The authors concluded that "on balance, Beijing's experience in the Gulf of Aden has been positive thus far. China's strategic interests may continue to impel the PLAN to make more substantive contributions to non--traditional maritime stability. ... Chinese and American interests overseas will intersect in the 21st century more so than ever before, making substantive cooperation between the two sides indispensable, not only for US-China relations but also for the stability of the global commons."

Click here to access the article.