The 95th anniversary of the founding of Chinese Peoples’ Liberation Army (PLA) was commemorated at the General Headquarters in Rawalpindi on Monday, which is yet another sign of the deepening military and strategic relationship between the two all-weather and time tested friends.
Addressing the ceremony, Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa said Pakistan-China rela-tionship is unique and robust that has proven its resilience in the face of challenges.
He said PLA and Paki-stan Army are brothers in arms and our relationship will continue to contribute towards safeguarding the collective interests.
There is no denying that the military to military relations, serving as the mainstay of the China-Pakistan friendship, have played an important role in the development of bilateral relations for a long time.
Apart from holding joint exercises, Pakistan also purchases major military equipment from China.
Most recently it inducted J-10CE fighter jets whilst with the help of China, Pakistan has also been able to develop its state-of-the-art JF-17 thunder fighter jet.
China is also at the forefront to build the capacity of Pakistan Navy with the provision of modern warships and submarines.
Indeed this closer collaboration be-tween the two militaries is a factor of peace and stability in the region.
The PLA anniversary ceremony at the GHQ is a reflection that Pakistan sees its future with China despite facing tremendous pressure from the West which is pushing Islamabad not to get too close to Beijing.
The western countries, it is believed by the observers, are putting pressure on Pakistan through the IMF to review its ties with China.
The very strong statements made by the Army Chief clearly indicate Pakistan is not deterred by the outside pressure.
Ad-dressing the ceremony, Chinese Ambassador Nong Rong said the recent meeting of China-Pakistan Joint Committee of Cooperation has set up an important platform for military collaborations.
We are confident that this mechanism will go a long way in opening new vistas of cooperation between the two militaries.
The engagement levels between the two sides at different levels also need to be further enhanced in order to learn from each other’s experiences.
