Pakistan commissioned two multi-role naval frigates from China on Wednesday, marking the completion of a four-warship agreement signed between the two countries in 2018.
Pakistan’s navy chief Admiral Muhammad Amjad Khan Niazi said the induction of the new frigates—PNS Tippu Sultan and PNS Shahjahan—“ushers a new chapter in the Pakistan-China friendship.”
The contract for four Chinese-built Type 054 A/P warships was signed between the two countries in 2018. Pakistan received the first frigate, PNS Tughril, in 2021 and the second one PNS Taimur last year.
According to the Pakistan Navy, the 4,000-ton frigates are “technologically advanced” and equipped with surface-to-surface, land attack, surface-to-air and underwater firepower. They were built to “engage in multiple naval operations to counter maritime threats,” it stated.
“These ships will provide deterrence and a mean for averting threats in our region while contributing towards the protection of Sea Lines of Communications (SLOCS),” the Pakistan Navy stated.
China-Pakistan-Afghanistan Talks
Economic ties between the two nations have also deepened in recent years. Chinese leader Xi Jinping had pledged to support Pakistan in stabilizing its financial situation and inject “new impetus” into their strategic partnership.Afghanistan and Pakistan both pledged to promote trilateral ties with China in politics, security, and economy in order to safeguard their common interests and “achieve mutual benefits and win-win results.”
They agreed to support the extension of the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) to Afghanistan and pledged to promote connectivity between their countries.
The CPEC is part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative, started by Xi in 2013. China has invested over $62 billion in infrastructure under the CPEC, including the construction of Pakistan’s deep-water port in Gwadar, that triggered massive protests in November 2021.
The Taliban, which took power in Afghanistan after the U.S. troop withdrawal from the country in 2021, hasn’t been recognized as a legitimate regime by any nation, including China and Pakistan.
“Afghanistan’s geology has helped it to be a reservoir of minerals; it’s a different matter that the Afghans have not used it, nor will they,” said Siddhartha, a former adviser to multiple countries.