PLA marches in Pakistan parade

Attendance shows nations’ mutual trust, good friendship: FM

The participation of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) in a major military parade in Pakistan shows the mutual trust and good friendship that the two countries’ armies share and is another step for China’s military toward safeguarding regional stability and world peace, observers said.

An honor guard contingent from the PLA’s Beijing garrison made up of representatives from the navy, army and air force marched in the parade held in Pakistan’s capital city Islamabad on Thursday morning to celebrate the South Asian country’s Republic Day, which marks the adoption of the country’s first constitution, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

In a statement that China’s Ministry of National Defense sent to the Global Times on Friday, the ministry said that China and Pakistan are all-weather strategic cooperative partners and the two countries’ militaries have maintained a traditional friendship, citing that Pakistan sent troops to participate in the military parade held in Beijing to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II in September 2015,

The participation of the PLA in a Pakistani military parade is another vivid example of the two countries’ mutual trust and good friendship, the ministry added.

In his speech at the parade, Pakistani President Mamnoon Hussain thanked China for sending its soldiers to the parade and described it as an historic moment. He said that a Chinese military contingent has never before participated in such an event in Pakistan.

During a rehearsal for the parade, Major General Li Jianbo, head of the PLA contingent, told media that “we have come here to convey a message of friendship to Pakistan on behalf of the Chinese people and the Chinese military. We sincerely hope that Pakistan will progress day by day and its army will be stronger and stronger.”

Joint growth

A Chinese military source told the Global Times that the PLA’s participation in the Islamabad military parade is another step for China’s army to go abroad to safeguard regional stability and world peace.

“Unlike some countries which tamper with other’s domestic affairs with strong military power and escalate regional tension, China, as the world’s biggest developing country, has become a backbone force that safeguards world peace and stability,” said the source.

The source also added that with the development of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), the PLA’s attendance symbolizes that China will also safeguard the security of the corridor and promote regional peace.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying told the Global Times on Friday that the economic corridor will play an important role in the joint development of the two countries and is beneficial to regional connectivity and prosperity. China is willing to work with Pakistan to accelerate the establishment of the corridor and benefit the people of both countries, Hua explained.

Shaukat Aziz, former Prime Minister of Pakistan, also said during the ongoing annual Boao Forum for Asia conference in South China’s Hainan Province on Friday that Pakistan and China have a “historical relationship” and he believes their relationship is a model for the world. He also mentioned that the relationship between the two countries is based on the principles of peace and harmony.

Fighting together

Moreover, Wang Hongwei, an associate professor at Beijing’s Renmin University of China, warned that with the development of the CPEC, both China and Pakistan are facing threats from terrorism. Apart from conducting joint military drills, the two should also boost their information-sharing and prevent jihadists from conducting attacks.

Masood Khalid, Pakistani Ambassador to China, said at a news conference on March 14 that Pakistan has deployed more than 15,000 troops to protect the economic corridor, and the country’s navy has raised a contingent for the protection of Gwadar Port, a recipient of massive Chinese investment.

Proposed in 2013 by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, the 3,000-kilometer CPEC links Kashgar in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region with Gwadar Port in Southwest Pakistan.