BEIJING, Feb. 13 -- On February 10, local time, the multinational naval exercise AMAN-23 initiated and organized by the Pakistan Navy officially kicked off in waters near Karachi, Pakistan. Representatives of Chinese participating troops attended the opening ceremony.
The exercise running from February 10 to 14 as scheduled is composed of two parts: harbor and sea phases, with warships, aircraft, special operations forces and many observers from more than 50 countries involved.
"The Chinese troops will mainly participate in the tactical exchanges and warship demonstration at the harbor phase; in terms of the sea phase, the Chinese side is to mainly participate in tactical courses including gunnery firing, counter-terrorism and anti-piracy, and joint search and rescue. We are confident to do well in the exercise," said Captain Qiu Maoxuan, commanding officer of the participating guided-missile destroyer Nanning of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN).
"China is our best friend and an essential power to guarantee peace and security for the sea in the future,” said a Pakistani liaison officer of the exercise, before the official beginning of the exercise. “China-Pakistan friendship will make the sea more peaceful and secure. The Pakistan Navy (PN) has been in cooperation with its Chinese counterpart, and the trend will be strengthened in the future."
The multinational naval exercise AMAN-23 is the 8th of the AMAN series, which has been held every two years since 2007. As one of the major international activities hosted by the Pakistan Navy, the exercise aims to jointly maintain maritime security. In addition to the AMAN series, the navies of China and Pakistan have always maintained interaction and cooperation, as shown by the Sea Guardians-2 PLAN-PN joint maritime exercise held in Shanghai in July 2022.
According to Admiral M Amjad Khan Niazi, the Chief of Naval Staff of the Pakistan Navy, the relationship between the two navies is the embodiment of the all-weather strategic partnership between the two countries, including training exchanges, high-level mutual visits, warship docking, communications at expert level, and regular bilateral exercises. He stressed that the highly professional Chinese PLAN is one of the world's leading navies, and it is in the common interests of Pakistan and China's navies to cooperate in regular activities to ensure maritime security.
