China prepares to launch new Pakistani warships

"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

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.