The guided missile destroyer Nanning of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy is moored at a port in Karachi, Pakistan on February 12, 2023 during the AMAN-23 multinational maritime exercise. Photo: Liu Xuanzun/GT

After wrapping up a joint naval exercise with Iranian and Russian warships in the Gulf of Oman, the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy destroyer Nanning has returned to its escort mission in the Gulf of Aden and waters off Somalia, with experts on Wednesday hailing the PLA Navy's recent intensive efforts in safeguarding maritime transport routes as well as peace and stability in the Indian Ocean region.

The destroyer Nanning successfully completed the four-day Security Belt-2023 joint maritime military exercise on Sunday, left the Chabahar Port in Iran and resumed its escort mission, China Central Television (CCTV) reported on Wednesday.

Aiming at safeguarding peace, the Security Belt-2023 exercise featured training courses including live-fire shooting at maritime targets, anti-terrorism and anti-piracy.

During the drills, the Chinese destroyer joined Iranian and Russian vessels in preset formations and carried out maneuvers, hosted special forces in their live-fire shooting practice against mock incoming armed targets, conducted night-time communications exercises with other ships in the joint flotilla, and held an armed rescue exercise using an Iranian warship that played the role of a hijacked commercial vessel, CCTV reported.

The joint exercise deepened pragmatic cooperation among the participating navies, further demonstrated their will and capability in jointly safeguarding maritime security and actively building a maritime community with a shared future, and injected positive energy into regional peace and stability, Qiu Maoxuan, the commanding officer of the Nanning, said in the report.

As a part of the PLA Navy's 43rd naval escort task force to the Gulf of Aden and the waters off Somalia, the Nanning also participated in the AMAN-23 multinational naval drills off Karachi, Pakistan in early February before the Security Belt-2023 exercise. The AMAN-23 drills also focused on non-traditional security threats like terrorism and piracy and the protection of international sea lines of communication in the Indian Ocean region.

Another PLA Navy flotilla, the 42nd naval escort task force, in late February held a joint naval exercise with Russian and South African warships in sea and air regions east of South Africa's Durban and Richards Bay, with the theme of safeguarding sea transport and maritime economic activities.

The PLA Navy is on its way to become a blue-water navy that can operate around the globe including in the Indian Ocean, and carrying out escort missions and joint exercises with other countries is a reflection of China's responsibility as a major power in safeguarding peace and stability, a Chinese military expert who requested anonymity told the Global Times on Wednesday.

Zhang Junshe, a senior research fellow at the Naval Research Academy of the PLA, told the Global Times that the PLA Navy's joint drills with other countries' navies enhance understanding and friendship among them. These drills have yielded a positive significance to the international maritime security, he said.