No. PLAN ships are still too shiny, too clean. Plus, the Parade Line Army primary mission is still about making Xi Jing-Pooh looks good, not for actual combat.
What China could do is offer to re-flag ships but that would mean making China a more committed participant in ME issues, perhaps permanently, and on a side that not many want to be seen with.
Re-flagging can have severe political consequences UNDER maritime regulations, each merchant ship has to be registered with one country. While the UN Convention on the High Seas states that a vessel should have 'a genuine' link with its flag state, current rules permit ships to sail under any...
atlas-network.com
...current rules permit ships to sail under any flag regardless of their ownership. This is known as a ‘flag of convenience.’
‘If you’ve got a credit card, and you’ve got 15 minutes, you can re-register your ship under any flag you want,’ said University of Plymouth maritime logistics policy professor Michael Roe, reported CNN.
Re-flagging ships is a much more politically volatile act than making a temporary pact, ie "I will escort and defend you for X duration". Re-flagging ships would mean China must be willing to act offensively because essentially, ships under Chinese flag are symbols of Chinese sovereignty. Iran could offer to pay for protection but that would make the PLA essentially a mercenary force. Not a good image for a supposedly 'professional' military.
My take is that if the US act, China will not.
