China is to send two destroyers and a supply vessel to the seas off Somalia to back international efforts to fight piracy.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said on Saturday the taskforce would patrol the Gulf of Aden and waters off Somalia.
The official Xinhua news agency reported they will depart from Sanya in the southern province of Hainan on 26 December. It is the first operation of its kind for Beijing as China has traditionally kept its forces out of international operations.
NATO ships began anti-piracy operations off the Somali coast in late October, but have failed to stop the hijackings.
A multilateral force rescued a Chinese ship, the Zhenhua 4, from Somali pirates on Wednesday.
At a news conference on Thursday, the minister said 20% of Chinese ships passing through the waters off the Somali coast had been attacked by pirates from January to November this year.
Iran dispatches warship
Iran said on Saturday it had dispatched a warship to the Gulf of Aden to protect Iranian vessels against pirates.
An Iranian-chartered vessel was seized near Yemen on 18 November. Another vessel, the Iran Deyanat, was seized in August and released in October.
Iran has repeatedly said it could use force against pirates if deemed necessary.
