CHINA BALANCES ‘DESTABILISING ROLE’ OF INDIA IN INDIAN OCEAN: PAK NAVY CHIEF
BEIJING: Alleging that India is destabilising the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), the chief of Pakistan Navy has said that the PLA Navy’s presence in the maritime area is important to maintain regional balance of power.
The expanding partnership between Chinese and Pakistani navies will also play an important role in maintaining peace in the IOR, Admiral M Amjad Khan Niazi told Chinese state media in an interview.
Asked if China is building a naval base in Pakistan, Niazi said visits by navies will not change the “commercial” nature of the Beijing-built Gwadar port, even as he welcomed the visit of Chinese naval ships including aircraft carriers to Pakistani ports.
He was speaking to the Chinese nationalist tabloid Global Times ahead of the multinational naval exercise AMAN2021 to be hosted by Pakistan in February, where dozens of navies including from the US, UK, Japan, and Russia are expected to participate.
In the interview, Niazi accused India of destabilising the region, without evidence. “On our eastern side, India, with an expansionist mindset, is destabilising the region by actions that could imperil regional security,” he said when asked about the maritime security environment in the IOR.
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