In the People's Republic of China, the special operations forces of the People's Liberation Army (PLA SOF) are units that conduct direct action and reconnaissance, including in enemy rear areas, to prepare the advance of friendly forces; they also perform counter-terrorism operations, although that mission is formally assigned to People's Armed Police.

[7] Navy special forces deployed with the first Chinese anti-piracy naval patrol off Somalia on 26 December 2008.

[2] Each of the SOF brigades has a semi-formal cognomen as well as a number (which is usually identical to the group army they are subordinated to).

[2] It relies on theater logistics[3] and external resources to carry out missions.

[2] SOF operations in the enemy rear are restricted by the limited ability of conventional forces to support them.

[3] According to Chen and Wuthnow in 2022, the command structure and mission of most PLA SOF brigades resembled the United States Army Rangers rather than Delta Force.