The launch ceremony of the first China-built F-22P frigate ordered by the Pakistani navy will be held on April 7, in a shipyard in Shanghai.

Admiral Muhammad Afzal Tahir, the Pakistani Chief of Naval Staff (by Shi Gang)

Admiral Muhammad Afzal Tahir, the Pakistani Chief of Naval Staff, said that the deal -- his country's first purchase of a major fighting unit from China -- showcases the navy's confidence in Chinese industry.

"Pakistan and China had maintained sound political and military relations, and Islamabad was ready to work with Beijing to expand the strategic cooperative partnership," said Tahir, on April 4 in Beijing.

Under an agreement signed in April 2005, the deal will include the transfer of Chinese naval shipbuilding technology to Pakistan, besides the building of the frigates. The fourth frigate is expected to be finished in the Karachi Shipyard.

"The importance of the launch extends beyond collaboration in shipbuilding; this will be a catalyst for cooperation in the construction of vessels. It also acts as testimony to the two Asian nations' strong ties in military cooperation, in a broader sense," noted Tahir.

On April 3, Tahir met with General Liang Guanglie, China's Defense Minister, with whom he discussed the deepening exchanges and cooperation between the defense departments and armed forces of the two countries. Liang said the defense departments had maintained long-term exchanges and conducted multilevel cooperation across a wide range of fields.

He also expressed the hope that the two sides would make joint efforts to promote exchanges and bilateral cooperation, and thus consolidate their strategic partnership.

The launch ceremony of the first China-built F-22P frigate ordered by the Pakistani navy will be held on April 7, in a shipyard in Shanghai.

Admiral Muhammad Afzal Tahir, the Pakistani Chief of Naval Staff, said that the deal -- his country's first purchase of a major fighting unit from China -- showcases the navy's confidence in Chinese industry.

"Pakistan and China had maintained sound political and military relations, and Islamabad was ready to work with Beijing to expand the strategic cooperative partnership," said Tahir, on April 4 in Beijing.

Under an agreement signed in April 2005, the deal will include the transfer of Chinese naval shipbuilding technology to Pakistan, besides the building of the frigates. The fourth frigate is expected to be finished in the Karachi Shipyard.

"The importance of the launch extends beyond collaboration in shipbuilding; this will be a catalyst for cooperation in the construction of vessels. It also acts as testimony to the two Asian nations' strong ties in military cooperation, in a broader sense," noted Tahir.

On April 3, Tahir met with General Liang Guanglie, China's Defense Minister, with whom he discussed the deepening exchanges and cooperation between the defense departments and armed forces of the two countries. Liang said the defense departments had maintained long-term exchanges and conducted multilevel cooperation across a wide range of fields.

He also expressed the hope that the two sides would make joint efforts to promote exchanges and bilateral cooperation, and thus consolidate their strategic partnership.