GREETINGS: Naval officers of the fourth Chinese escort fleet wave a greeting to their comrades of the fifth fleet in the Gulf of Aden on March 15, 2010. The two escort fleets conducted joint escorts from March 15 to 20 (YANG ZHIGANG)

HANDS ON THE DECK: Special operations soldiers board a helicopter during a training exercise on the Ma'anshan frigate of the fourth Chinese escort fleet in the Gulf of Aden on December 16, 2009 (YANG ZHIGANG)

A SHOW OF HANDS: Chinese special operations soldiers prepare to board and inspect a suspected pirate boat in the Gulf of Aden on January 22, 2010 (YANG ZHIGANG)

A WINNING COMBINATION: Two female naval officers of the fifth Chinese escort fleet pose for a photo aboard the Guangzhou missile destroyer on March 4, 2010. The fleet departed that day from south China's Sanya for the seas off Somalia (ZHA CHUNMING)

AT THE READY: Special operations soldiers of the fifth Chinese escort fleet stand at attention prior to their deployment on a mission to the Gulf of Aden on March 4, 2010 (ZHA CHUNMING)

LINKAGE: The Weishanhu supply ship (right) provides fuel for the Guangzhou missile destroyer in the Indian Ocean on March 9, 2010 (LIU CHUNHUI)