China’s Defence Minister Gen. Li Shangfu told Pakistan’s naval chief Amjad Khan Niazi on Monday that the two all-weather friends should seek new areas of military cooperation and jointly safeguard their security interests and region.
Li said the relations between the militaries of the two countries are an important part of China-Pakistan relations, and cooperation between the two sides in various fields, including the two navies, has achieved good results.
Li said the militaries of the two countries should expand exchanges in new areas, create new cooperation highlights, and work together to safeguard the security interests of both countries and the region, a defence ministry statement here said. Observers say Sino-Pakistan military cooperation in recent years focussed more on the navy as China gradually stepped up its naval presence in India’s backyard, the Indian Ocean and the Arabian Sea where it is developing Pakistan’s Gwadar port.
Besides acquiring four modern naval frigates from China, Pakistan will also be getting eight Chinese submarines as part of the efforts to modernisation, Admiral Niazi told the Chinese media during his visit earlier.
