Representatives from the two navies pose for a group photo during the closing ceremony of the nine-day Sea Guardians 2020 China-Pakistan joint naval exercise at the Pakistan Navy's Dockyard in Karachi on January 14.(eng.chinamil.com.cn/Photo by Mu Ruilin)
By Chen Guoquan
Vice Admiral Dong Jun, general director of the Chinese side and deputy commander of the PLA Southern Theater Command delivers speech at the closing ceremony of the nine-day Sea Guardians 2020 China-Pakistan joint naval exercise at the Pakistan Navy's Dockyard in Karachi on January 14.(eng.chinamil.com.cn/Photo by Mu Ruilin)
Vice Admiral Dong Jun, general director of the Chinese side and deputy commander of the PLA Southern Theater Command, and Vice Admiral Asif Khaliq, general director of the Pakistani side and commander of the Pakistani Naval Fleet, attended the closing ceremony and delivered speeches. Vice Admiral Dong Jun announced the exercise a complete success.
The exercise fully reflected the all-weather strategic cooperative partnership between China and Pakistan and the high-level exchanges and cooperation between their militaries, said Vice Admiral Dong Jun, calling it an important exploration and practice in deepening the pragmatic cooperation in the military sector that will definitely improve the joint operations of Chinese and Pakistani navies. “We are confident to make the ‘Sea Guardians’ a new and excellent exercise brand in our military-to-military exchanges with Pakistan. It will make greater contributions to safeguarding the common security interests of the two countries and defending regional and world peace,” he added.
Vice Admiral Asif Khaliq, general director of the Pakistani side and commander of the Pakistani Naval Fleet delivers speech at the closing ceremony of the nine-day Sea Guardians 2020 China-Pakistan joint naval exercise at the Pakistan Navy's Dockyard in Karachi on January 14.(eng.chinamil.com.cn/Photo by Mu Ruilin)
Vice Admiral Asif Khaliq said that the exercise fully demonstrated the good skills and quality of the two navies. He hoped that the two navies could, through such joint exercises, enhance mutual understanding, identify areas of common interests and achieve the common goal of maintaining peace and stability in the maritime commons.
Sea Guardians2020 is of the largest scale in the history of China-Pakistan joint naval exercises, with a large diversity of participating troops and wide coverage of maritime subjects. The Chinese participating troops mainly come from the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Southern Theater Command Navy, with five vessels including destroyer, frigate, supply ship and submarine rescue ship, two carrier-based helicopters, and more than 60 special operations members. The Pakistani side assigned two Zulfiquar-class F22P/F21 frigates, two fast attack craft (FAC), one fixed-wing anti-submarine patrol aircraft, two carrier-based helicopters, and about 60 special operations
After the conclusion of exercise, the guided-missile destroyer Yinchuan (Hull 175), guided-missile frigate Yuncheng(Hull 571) and comprehensive supply ship Weishanhu(Hull 887) will form the 34th escort contingent to keep sailing to the Gulf of Aden, where it will carry out escort missions.
The nine-day Sea Guardians 2020 China-Pakistan joint naval exercise wrapped up at the Pakistan Navy’s Dockyard in Karachi on January 14.(eng.chinamil.com.cn/Photo by Mu Ruilin)