China, Pakistan conclude joint naval exercise “Sea Guardians-2” in Shanghai

Asia-Pacific, News July 14, 2022 , by IRIA No Comments

The four-day long Sea Guardians-2 naval exercise was jointly held by the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) of China and the Pakistan Navy at the Wusong military port in Shanghai.

The Sea Guardians-2 was the second edition of Pakistan-China joint naval exercises. The exercise was aimed at enhancing the “joint response to maritime security threats”. According to the PLAN spokesperson Captain Liu Wensheng, the exercise was a “normal arrangement according to an annual schedule, and it is not aimed at any third party.”

Frigates, corvettes, and submarines from the Eastern Theater Command of the PLAN were sent to participate in the drills from the Chinese side. The ships included the Xiangtan frigate, Shuozhou corvette, the comprehensive supply ship Qiandaohu and a submarine. PLAN also sent several early warning aircraft, fighter jets, and helicopters to participate in the exercises.

Pakistan Navy’s newly commissioned PNS Taimur frigate participated in the drills. PNS Taimur is a Type 054A/P frigate, built by China. The ship was commissioned into Pakistan’s naval fleet only a few weeks ago. Type 054A/P frigate is a Pakistan-specific variant of China’s Type 054A Jiangkai II-class frigate, China’s most advanced guided-missile frigate. This is the first time that PNS Taimur has participated in a practical naval exercise.

In the first phase of the joint exercise, the two navies carried out offshore operation planning and professional expertise exchange as well as cultural sports events. The second phase of the joint drills focused on practical maritime exercises that included attacks on maritime targets, tactical maneuvering, anti-submarine operation, replenishment at sea, reinforcing damaged ships, anti-aircraft and anti-missile operations.

*^{The PNS Taimur, the second of four Type 054A/P frigates China built for Pakistan, is commissioned at the Hudong-Zhonghua Shipyard in Shanghai on June 23, 2022. (Image Credit: Pakistan Navy/via ET)}*

The Sea Guardians-2 exercise was held in the water airspace off the coast of Shanghai from July 10 to 13. The exercises consisted of two phases. The first phase was port planning while in the second phase the two navies executed maritime security drills. The exercise was co-directed by Rear Admiral Liu Zhigang of PLAN and Commodore Rashid Mehmood Sheikh of Pakistan Navy.

This is the second time that China and Pakistan have held the “Sea Guardians” series joint maritime exercise. In January 2020, the two sides held the first of the joint maritime exercise code-named Sea Guardians-2020. This exercise was held in the northern Arabian Sea. During the Sea Guardians-2020 forces from both sides cooperated in close interoperability while focusing on all training subjects. The join training was successfully completed and the two navies vowed to continue the exercise on annual basis.

Pakistan and China conclude joint naval exercise ‘Sea Guardians 2’ in Shanghai. Pakistan Navy’s guided-missile frigate Type 054A/P PNS Taimur participated with PLAN frigate Xiangtan, corvette Shuozhou, Qiandaohu, submarine, early warning aircraft, 2 fighter jets and 1 helicopter pic.twitter.com/2MXypvJDXk
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