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China prepares to launch new Pakistani warships
FRIGATE:
The first of four battleships built for Pakistan was scheduled to begin tests three days ahead of a six-day visit to Beijing by Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf
AP, ISLAMABAD
Monday, Apr 07, 2008, Page 5
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"The launching of the first F-22 frigate is testimony of the eternal Pakistan-China friendship and time-tested defense relations between the two countries. "
— Akbar Naqi, Pakistani navy spokesman
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China is preparing to launch the first of four warships it is building for longtime ally Pakistan, a military spokesman said yesterday.
The F-22 frigate will be launched today at a ceremony in Shanghai to undergo a series of trials before being commissioned into the Pakistani navy next year, navy spokesman Captain Akbar Naqi said.
Under a deal the two countries signed last year, China will provide four frigates to Pakistan.
“The launching of the first F-22 frigate is testimony of the eternal Pakistan-China friendship and time-tested defense relations between the two countries,” Naqi said.
China is one of the main suppliers of defense equipment to the Muslim nation.
Naqi said the ships will cost a total of about US$1 billion and will carry surface-to-surface and surface-to-air missiles, helicopters, equipment to detect nuclear and conventional submarines, and anti-air guns capable of engaging incoming missiles.
Three of the ships will be built in China while the fourth will be constructed in a shipyard in the Pakistani port of Karachi under a “transfer of technology” deal between the two countries, he said.
Longtime cooperation between the two countries includes Chinese assistance in building tanks for Pakistan’s army as well as a nuclear power plant. They also have started joint production of JF-17 Thunder fighter jets for the Pakistani air force.
The launch comes three days before Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf is scheduled to leave for a six-day visit to Beijing for talks with Chinese President Hu Jintao (胡錦濤), Premier Wen Jiabao (溫家寶) and other officials.
The visit by Musharraf, a US ally in the war against terrorism, “is part of regular high-level interaction between the two countries and reflective of close bilateral ties,” the Pakistani Foreign Ministry said.
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