World News | Chinese Defense Minister and Pakistani Navy Commander-in-Chief held talks to explore new areas of military cooperation

BEIJING, May 8 (PTI) — Chinese Defense Minister Admiral Li Shangfu told Pakistani Navy Commander Amjad Khaniyazi on Monday that the two all-weather friends should seek new areas of military cooperation to jointly safeguard their security interests and area.

Li Zhaoxing said that the relationship between the two militaries is an important part of China-Pakistan relations, and the two sides have achieved good results in cooperation in various fields including the navies of the two countries.

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Li Keqiang said that the two countries and the two militaries should expand exchanges in new fields, create new highlights of cooperation, and jointly safeguard the security interests of the two countries and the region.

Observers say that China-Pakistan military cooperation in recent years has focused more on the navy as China gradually strengthens its naval presence in India’s backyard, the Indian Ocean and the Arabian Sea, where China is developing Pakistan’s Gwadar port.

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Admiral Nyazi earlier told Chinese media during his visit that Pakistan would also get eight Chinese submarines as part of its modernization effort, in addition to buying four modern naval frigates from China.

Indian Navy Chief Admiral Kumar said last month that the Pakistani Navy was modernizing at a good pace to become a 50-platform force in 10 to 15 years and that they were adding new frigates and frigate.

Niazi’s visit was part of a high-level visit between the two countries this month as Pakistan’s economic and political crisis deepens, with reports of leaked documents underscoring Pakistani authorities considering whether to move closer to the United States to balance relations with China.

During his first visit to Beijing earlier this month, General Asim Munir, chief of the Pakistan Army, met with a senior Chinese general and senior diplomat Wang Yi, director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Communist Party of China Central Committee.

During Munir’s visit to China, China’s new Premier Li Qiang also had a telephone conversation with Prime Minister Sharif for the first time, promising to continue to provide financial assistance to Pakistan, which is facing serious political and economic crisis.

Subsequently, Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang visited Islamabad on 5-6 May, during which he also met with the army chief, General Munir.

The visits follow reports in U.S. and Pakistani media citing two Pakistani memos stating that the country’s political and military establishments are considering opening ties with the U.S. to balance ties with China.

In one of the memos, Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar warned that Pakistan “can no longer try to maintain a middle ground between China and the US”.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from a Syndicated News feed, the content body may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)