47th Chinese naval escort taskforce departs for Gulf of Aden

The 47th Chinese naval escort taskforce set sail from a port in Zhoushan City, east China's Zhejiang Province on Sunday, heading for the Gulf of Aden and Somali waters to replace the 46th escort taskforce.

The escort fleet is composed of guided-missile destroyer Baotou, guided-missile frigate Honghe, and comprehensive supply ship Gaoyouhu from the Eastern Theater Command.

The task force is also equipped with two onboard helicopters and includes over 700 personnel, consisting of elite special force members.

During the preparation for the mission, the task force focused on meeting the core requirements for escort capabilities. The team conducted targeted training exercises, including night-time helicopter landings, joint search and rescue operations, armed rescue of hijacked merchant vessels, counter-terrorism, anti-piracy drills, and inspections of suspected vessels. This rigorous training aimed to enhance the synergy between various operational parts and boost the overall mission effectiveness of the task force.

"In addition to improving my physical fitness and operational skills, I also studied naval etiquette and the history and culture of countries along our route," said Fu Shun, one of the special force members.

"I worked on improving spare parts availability, practical skills training, and emergency response drills to ensure that I can effectively handle unexpected situations," said Wu Haoqiang, a member of the task force.

"This is my second time participating in an escort mission. From honing my professional skills to handling equipment requisition, inventory checks, and emergency response procedures, I am committed to fulfilling my responsibilities diligently in this trusted role," said another member Lan Jianping.

47th Chinese naval escort taskforce departs for Gulf of Aden

China's solar power generation has surpassed its wind and hydroelectric power generation to become the country's second largest power generation source, with the installed capacity reaching 793 giga-watts by the end of October this year, according to official data.

Solar power generation facilities installations now account for 24.8 percent of China's total power generation capacity, marking a significant 48 percent increase over the same period of last year.

The geographic distribution of solar power generation facilities installations shows a concentration in eastern and western regions, which together account for almost three quarters of the country's total solar power generation capacity.

Eastern regions predominantly feature distributed solar power generation systems, while western areas focus on utility-scale installations.

"It is expected that the newly-installed capacity of solar power generation will be about 250 million kilowatts in 2024, and the cumulative installed capacity of solar power generation is expected to exceed 850 million kilowatts, accounting for more than a quarter of the total installed capacity in the country," said Yang Kun, executive vice chairman of China Electricity Council.

China's solar power generation capacity hits 793 GW, becomes 2nd largest power source