China has deployed six military warships to the Middle East, amid growing fears that the Israel-Hamas war could spark an all-out war.
China’s 44th naval escort task force has been involved in what it says are ‘routine’ operations in the area for the past week.
The ships, from the People’s Liberation Army Eastern Theatre, left Oman on Saturday and it is unclear where they are travelling to next.
The Chinese naval ships took part in a joint military exercise with the Omani navy in Muscat.
As part of the joint exercises, Chinese military commanders met with Middle Eastern military counterparts and visited military bases.
READ MORE: Fourth victim as 360 flood warnings now in place across Britain
The PLA naval unit has been moving around the Middle East and helped escort shipping boats since arriving in the Gulf of Aden north of Somalia six months ago.
On Thursday, Chinese leader Xi Jinping insisted that a two-state solution was the only way out of the current war between Israel and Hamas.
He said: “The top priority now is a ceasefire as soon as possible, to avoid the conflict from expanding or even spiraling out of control and causing a serious humanitarian crisis.”
This comes amid growing concern in the international community that the war in Israel and Gaza could spill over into a regional conflict.
There have been almost daily clashes between Israel and Hezbollah across the Lebanon border, fueling fear of new fronts opening almost two weeks into the war.
