‘Sino-Pak naval collaboration must to handle maritime challenges’

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Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Muhammad Zakaullah is on an official visit to China. During the visit, the naval chief called on PLA (N) Commander Vice-Admiral Shen Jinlong.

Upon arrival at PLA Navy Headquarters in Beijing, the admiral was received by PLA Navy Commander Vice-Admiral Shen Jinlong. Ceremonial Guard of Honour was presented to the naval chief on the occasion.

Prior to the formal call on, the naval chief was given detailed briefings regarding PLA Navy. During the call on, Admiral Zakaullah dilated upon matters of mutual interest and bilateral naval collaboration including maritime security and stability, Coalition Maritime Campaign Plan (CMCP), counter piracy operations, drug trafficking and joint collaboration in various projects. Admiral Zakaullah thanked Vice-Admiral Shen Jinlong for active participation by PLA Navy in multinational naval exercise AMAN 17 and said that Pakistan looked forward to further enhancing the interaction between both navies through port calls, bilateral naval exercises and exchange of training programmes at various levels.

The PLA Navy Commander acknowledged the significance of close and strong bilateral naval association in diverse realms between Pakistan Navy and PLA Navy. While lauding the professional acumen and commitment of PN personnel, Vice-Admiral Jinlong highly appreciated the efforts of Pakistan Navy to maintain collaborative security in the Indian Ocean and beyond.

The deep rooted naval collaboration between Pakistan Navy and PLA Navy has become even more important in the backdrop of China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) to effectively handle complex challenges in the maritime domain. In this context, the recent visit of naval chief is expected to go a long way in promoting maritime security and stability in the region and greatly enhance the bilateral cooperation between the two navies.