On Friday, two Chinese destroyers and a supply ship will set sail for the Gulf of Aden -- the first time in recent history that Beijing has deployed vessels on a potential combat mission well beyond its territorial waters.

That China, the world's fourth biggest economic power and climbing, would have an interest in the freedom of the seas -- where most of the world's cargo is transported -- is not a surprise.

Seven of the roughly 100 ships attacked by Somali pirates since the beginning of the year have been Chinese, and at least one from China is still thought to be in the hands of the attackers.

But the decision is both historic and could have far-reaching consequences.

Historic, because the last time ships were sent so far -- coincidentally to the east coast of Africa and the southern Gulf region -- was under Admiral Zheng He in the 15th century.

His armada of junks sailed parts of the Red Sea, where pearls, porcelain, spice and silk were traded, until they were stopped by the emperor, allowing western nations to begin to dominate the waters.

Beijing's decision to take the fight to the pirates near Somalia is also significant in terms of what it might mean for naval rivals in the future.

The Chinese navy's "previous operations have been carried out in the South China Sea", or as exercises with European and South American nations, the specialist British military magazine Janes Defence Review noted this week.

"This will be the first real deployment of operational Chinese units far from their base and on such short notice since the birth of the People's Republic of China in 1949," said Belgian naval expert Joseph Henrotin.

"It means that China is no longer willing to confine its defences to its coast and the archipelagos that lie nearby," he said.

And Beijing has vowed to use force if needed.

"(If) our naval vessels are ambushed by pirate ships we will resolutely fight back to protect our own safety," Rear Admiral Xiao Xinnian told reporters Tuesday.

"If the act of piracy is already under way and the pirates are already robbing other civilian vessels, we will suppress their acts, provided we have the capability and conditions to do so," he said.

The ships would stay, in the main, in international waters but could enter Somali territory if the situation warranted it.

However Beijing has confirmed that the vessels will operate in concert with other international warships in the area, protecting commercial boats and UN aid shipments, like British, French, German, Russian and US craft.

Despite this, according to Janes, China's decision will probably be seen with a wary eye by some of its naval rivals, as it could pose a future challenge to the dominant sea power, the United States.

"The Somali deployment is ... a demonstration of China's increasing blue-water capabilities, which in long-term, strategic terms will be viewed with concern by potential rivals," the magazine said.

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