Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Asim Munir on Wednesday held a “detailed discussion” with the commander of the PLA Army, which included ways to further strengthen military ties.
According to a statement from the Pakistani military’s publicity department, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the two sides discussed “matters of mutual security interest” during their consultations.
“Both military commanders reiterated the need for maintaining peace and stability in the region and enhancing military to military cooperation,” the statement read.
As per the official readout, General Munir will hold further meetings with military commanders in China to bolster the “longstanding relations” between the countries.
Both Pakistan and China share a disputed border with India. New Delhi doesn’t recognize Pakistan’s control over a part of Jammu and Kashmir region, which it refers to as Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
On the other hand, the Beijing-backed China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a flagship initiative under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), passes through the PoK region, something New Delhi has objected to.
Both Pakistan and China have also been urging the Taliban* to crack down on foreign terrorist groups which have allegedly found safe haven on Afghan soil since the Taliban came to power in Kabul in August 2021.
A joint statement by China, Pakistan, Russia, and Iran after a foreign ministers' meeting in Samarkand this month expressed "deep concern" over the presence of terrorist groups such as the Eastern Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM)** and the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP)** in Afghanistan.
China-Pakistan Defense Ties
China is Pakistan’s biggest supplier of weapons and major arms, with Chinese defense imports accounting for 72 percent of the overall imports between 2017 and 2021, as per a Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) report last year.
Likewise, around 47 percent of China’s overall defense products were exported to Pakistan.
Notable Chinese defense equipment in use in the Pakistani Armed Forces includes JF-17 combat aircraft in the Pakistan Air Force (PAF), Type 90-2M tanks in the Army, as well as frigates and stealth submarines in the Pakistan Navy.
* under UN sanctions for terrorism
** terror groups banned in Russia