TIL Desk/World/Beijing/ China has started building for Pakistan, its “all-weather ally”, one of its “most advanced” naval warships as part of a defence agreement to maintain a “balance of power” in the Indian Ocean, the media reported on Wednesday.
A Chinese newspaper quoted China State Shipbuilding Corp (CSSC) — one of the largest state-owned defence contractor — as saying that the construction of the ship has started in the Hudong-Zhonghua shipyard in Shanghai and it is a version of China’s most advanced guided missile frigate, without specifying its type.
The warship will be equipped with modern detection and weapon systems and will be capable of anti-ship, anti-submarine and air-defence operations, the CSSC said. According to the Pakistani Navy, the ship’s class is Type 054AP, which means it is based on the Type 054A of the People’s Liberation Army Navy. It previously said four such ships have been ordered, according to the report.
Once constructed, the warship “will be one of the largest and technologically advanced platforms of Pakistan’s Navy and strengthen the country’s capability to respond to future challenges, maintain peace and stability and the balance of power in the Indian Ocean region”, the report said.
