Chinese warships have embarked on a tour of Persian Gulf Arab states for the first time in six years as Beijing has signaled a desire to play a bigger role on the global stage. Three Chinese vessels, including a guided-missile destroyer warship, arrived in Qatar’s capital Doha Saturday following a visit to the Saudi port city of Jeddah, according to Chinese state broadcaster CCTV.

China’s navy regularly tours the world and its ships patrol off the coasts of Yemen and Somalia as part of international anti-piracy operations. Visits to P. Gulf Arab states, where both the U.S. and Britain have naval bases, are less common.

China’s navy visited Iran for the first time in 2014 to take part in joint naval exercises with Saudi Arabia’s regional archrival.

Source: Reuters