China on Monday clarified that it had not “donated” two warships to Pakistan, but that the transfer of vessels, apparently for the defence of Gwadar port, was part of a legitimate “military trade” between the two countries.
“I have learnt that some reports said China has donated these vessels. This is not correct... It is normal military trade cooperation [between] the two countries and complies with the international commitments of the two countries,” said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying at her regular press briefing.
Joint security
Pakistani media reports on Monday said China has handed over two ships to Pakistan Navy on Saturday to safeguard the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
Ms. Hua said: “So I want to clarify that it is not donation, it is military trade cooperation; the Pakistani side bought these two ships from China.”
The Pakistani daily Dawn had reported that the two ships would be deployed for “joint security” along the CPEC sea route. However, the newspaper also carried a clarification by the Pakistan Maritime Security Agency (PMSA) that the two ships had not been provided exclusively for protecting the Gwadar port.
“The ships will be employed in all maritime zones of Pakistan to undertake search and rescue operations,” the PMSA said.
Besides, the vessels were handed over to the agency in Guangzhou, China, and not at Gwadar, it observed.
The daily reported that China is building two more ships, named Dasht and Zhob, which will be delivered to the Pakistani Navy soon.
In response to another question on whether China would reappraise its position this year on India’s demand for a ban on Jash-e-Mohammad (JeM) chief Masood Azhar in the 1267 committee of the UN Security Council, Ms. Hua said Beijing will continue to remain engaged with “relevant parties on this”. India has sought a UN ban on the head of the JeM chief following last year’s attack on the Pathankot air base.
On Azhar and NSG
She also said that China had not blocked India’s move to impose a ban on the JeM chief.
“On the Azhar issue, I don’t like the word ‘block’. As we have explained our position before, [on] this question, the 1267 committee needs to base its decision on solid evidence and follow relevant resolutions and rules of procedure and make a decision based on consensus. The technical hold China proposed is to allow more time for consultation and deliberation,” she said.
In response to another query on remarks by outgoing U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia, Nisha Desai Biswal, that China was an “outlier” in blocking India’s membership to the 48-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), Ms. Hua said that membership to the grouping could not be considered a “farewell gift” that countries give to each other.
