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China’s military
ChinaDiplomacy

China delivers new warship to Pakistan Navy in ‘important milestone’

  • It’s the largest and most advanced Chinese warship to be exported so far, according to the shipbuilder
  • Type 054A/P frigate was commissioned in Shanghai and is the first of four being built under a 2017 deal

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The new frigate, PNS Tughril, was commissioned in Shanghai on Monday. Photo: Weibo
Amber Wang

China delivered the first Type 054A/P frigate to the Pakistan Navy on Monday, the largest and most advanced warship the country has exported, according to the shipbuilder.

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The frigate, designed and built by the China State Shipbuilding Corporation, was commissioned in Shanghai on Monday. Named the PNS Tughril, it is the first of four frigates that China is building for the Pakistan Navy under a deal signed in 2017.

It is equipped with a new combat management system developed by the CSSC, advanced sensors and weapons, the shipbuilder said in a statement, adding that it had managed to deliver the warship on time despite difficulties caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Its design and construction reflect the tremendous progress of China’s frigate technology,” the shipbuilder said, calling the contract an “important milestone” for the sale of Chinese warships.

The Pakistan Navy tweeted that the new frigate had enormous firepower and surveillance potential, and its construction in China was “testimony of Pak-China all-weather friendship”.

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Pakistan’s embassy in Beijing said the new warship was technologically advanced and could take on multiple missions. The embassy said on Twitter that Pakistan was “aligned to protect global sea lines of communication”, or maritime routes, and contribute to strategic stability.
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