Pakistan navy head hails China’s participation in drills

The head of the Pakistan Navy hailed the Chinese navy’s participation in the Aman 19 multinational maritime exercise during a visit to the warship Kunlunshan on Sunday, saying that the Chinese naval presence in the Indian Ocean is vital to regional security.

Pakistan is holding its sixth multinational maritime naval drills, Aman 19, from Friday to Tuesday in Karachi, with navies and observers from 46 countries including China, Russia and the US participating in the exercise.

The Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLA Navy), which has participated in all previous Aman exercises, sent two warships from the Task Group 998 for the exercise.

“The PLA Navy has always been a very big participant, we are really grateful for that,” Chief of the Pakistani Naval Staff Admiral Zafar Mahmood Abbasi told the Global Times during his visit.

China and Pakistan have enjoyed a great relationship for decades, and in 2014 bilateral ties were upgraded to an all-weather strategic partnership.

“We wish that our relationship could be closer and the bond of friendship will be further strengthened in the future,” the admiral said.

Abbasi also noted that the Indian Ocean is vital for the global economy. Threats to this region cannot be tackled by any navy alone. The Chinese navy’s mission to ensure maritime security in the Indian Ocean has provided a lot of security to shipping in the region, he said.

Shao Shuguang, commander of the Task Group 998, said during meeting with Abbasi that “Karachi’s long history and culture, the hospitality of the Pakistani people, especially the professionalism of our counterparts in your navy, have left a deep impression on me.”

“I hope that the navies of our two countries will have further close exchanges and cooperation to jointly maintain maritime security and stability in the Indian Ocean,” Shao said.

During the visit to Kunlunshan, the admiral also reviewed the PLA Navy’s guard of honor.