ISLAMABAD: Chinese authorities have briefed Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari on advanced J-35 stealth fighter jets and unmanned aerial combat aircraft during his recent visit to China, with Pakistan expressing interest in modern Chinese defense technology, a senator who accompanied the president on his recent China visit told reporters on Friday.
President Zardari this month visited China on a 10-day official trip, where he became the "first" foreign leader to visit Aviation Industry Corporation of China's (AVIC) Advanced Aircraft Complex in Chengdu, according to his office.
Zardari was briefed on the J-35 stealth multirole combat aircraft, J-20 stealth fighter aircraft, J-10 fighter jet, co-production of JF-17 Thunder with Pakistan, unmanned aerial vehicles, fully automated units, and integrated command-and-control systems for multi-domain operations.
Senator Saleem Mandviwalla, a member of Zardari's Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) who accompanied him to China, said that the transfer of modern technology and defense equipment takes time, but said Islamabad would not let its neighbor dominate Pakistan in defense field, in an obvious reference to India.
“One thing is certain Pakistan will not allow its neighboring [enemy] country to dominate it and will remain its equal in the defense field,” he said.
In the coming times, Mandviwalla said, defense cooperation between the two countries will further increase, bringing the "world’s best technology to Pakistan."
A rising military superpower, China hasn’t fought a major war in more than four decades but has raced under President Xi Jinping to modernize its armed forces, pouring resources into developing sophisticated weaponry and cutting-edge technologies. It has also extended that modernization drive to Pakistan, long hailed by Beijing as its “ironclad brother.”
Over the past five years, China has supplied 81 percent of Pakistan’s imported weapons, according to data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Those exports include advanced fighter jets, missiles, radars and air-defense systems. Some Pakistan-made weapons have also been co-developed with Chinese firms or built with Chinese technology and expertise.
The development comes months after Pakistan declared victory in a four-day military conflict with India, saying its air force used Chinese J-10C aircraft to shoot down six Indian fighter jets, including three French Rafales. Though Indian officials have acknowledged losses, they have not specified the number of jets downed by Pakistan.
Murtaza Solangi, the president's spokesman, said Zardari during his visit to the sprawling complex in Chengdu boarded a J-10 fighter jet, which was "instrumental" in Pakistan’s four-day standoff with India in May.
"The president was briefed on China’s latest aerospace capabilities," he said.
The president’s visit was aimed at strengthening social ties with China, according to PPP members.
"During the visit, six agreements were signed between Pakistan and China, four of which were business-to-business deals," Mandviwalla said.
