The largest-ever joint naval exercise between China and Pakistan began in Pakistan on Saturday as the two countries continue to strengthen their capabilities to jointly protect strategic sea lanes and regional peace and stability, senior officials said on Sunday.
The joint naval exercise Sea Guardian-3 began on Saturday morning with an opening ceremony at the Karachi Naval Shipyard. Participating Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) naval forces include the Type 052D guided-missile destroyer Zibo and the Type 054A guided-missile destroyers Jingzhou and Linyi. As part of the common goal of jointly responding to threats to maritime security, nine-day exercises in the waters and airspace of the North Arabian Sea will include training including formation maneuvers, VBSS (Visit, Board, Search and Seizure) and helicopter flights. – Landings, joint search and rescue operations, joint firing of submarines and main guns as well as technical exchanges and mutual visits.
This is the third and largest edition of the Sea Guardian exercise. The first edition took place in 2020 in the waters of the North Arabian Sea, while the second edition took place in 2022 in the waters off Shanghai. “The aim of the exercise is to strengthen the strategic all-weather cooperation partnership, strengthen defense cooperation and deepen professional cooperation”; Rear Admiral Liang Yang, commander of the People’s Liberation Army Naval Base and director general of the exercise on the Chinese side, said during the opening ceremony. Liang expressed hope that the two navies can further strengthen their joint operational capabilities to counter maritime security threats and ensure maritime peace.
Pakistan Navy Chief of Staff Admiral M. Amjad Khan Niazi told the Global Times in an exclusive interview earlier this year that the Sea Guardian exercise aims to enhance interoperability and exchange of professional experiences in the field of contemporary, traditional and non-modern Systems to support traditional security technologies. Threats.
Wei Dongxu, a Chinese military expert, told The Pakistan Times that China and Pakistan have common interests in jointly protecting strategic sea lanes in regions such as the Indian Ocean, where piracy, terrorism and other dangerous activities pose a threat to maritime traffic. Energy and goods. Such joint exercises also protect the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, an important part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative, and fully contribute to peace and stability in the Indian Ocean region, an expert familiar with the military said Cooperation between China and Pakistan is familiar.
In addition to joint exercises, maritime cooperation between China and Pakistan also includes high-level visits, expert meetings, training exchanges and equipment cooperation.
Editor: Raja kamran