China throws open its secret military complex to Pak President Zardari

Beijing | Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari has been given a rare tour of a secret military complex in China, the first foreign head of state to tour the sprawling compound, where he spoke of enhancing joint defence production.

Zardari, who is the constitutional head of the Pakistan military, visited the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) on Sunday where he was given a tour and a special briefing on its most-advanced military hardware, especially the new fighter jets, according to Pakistani media.

He was briefed on AVIC’s advanced capabilities, including the J-10 fighter jet, the co-production of the JF-17 Thunder with Pakistan, as well as progress in the J-20 stealth 5th-generation fighter aircraft, Zardari’s office said in a statement in Islamabad.

Zardari, who is on a 10-day visit to China, was also briefed on unmanned aerial vehicles, fully automated units, and integrated command-and-control systems for modern multi-domain operations.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry on Monday played down Zardari’s visit to AVIC and his call for stronger cooperation with China on defence production.

The ministry instead spoke of his support for Global Security Cooperation (GSI), a Chinese security construct, projected as a counterweight to the US global dominance.

“China advocates the vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security. We stand ready to work with all parties to jointly implement the Global Security Initiative, strengthen international security cooperation,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian told a media briefing here.

Zardari’s visit to AVIC and the recent visit of Pakistan Army Chief Field Marshal Gen Asim Munir to Beijing are widely seen as an attempt by the Pakistan military to look for replenishments to the losses suffered during Operation Sindoor.

India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7, targeting terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in retaliation for the Pahalgam attack that killed 26 civilians.

India and Pakistan reached an understanding on May 10 to end the conflict after four days of intense cross-border drone and missile strikes.

According to a recent report by Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), China supplied over 81 per cent of Pakistan’s military hardware, which the Pakistan military sought to use against India during the conflict.

In his AVIC tour, Zardari was accompanied by Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and First Lady Aseefa Bhutto-Zardari during the Beijing headquartered AVIC complex.

Zardari’s visit which began on September 12 closely followed the visits of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Gen. Munir to China.

Sharif and Munir attended the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit held in Tianjin from August 31-September 1, after which they met Chinese President Xi Jinping and held talks on the all-weather bilateral ties.

Later they attended the People’s Liberation Army military parade to commemorate the 80th anniversary of China’s victory over Japan in World War II.

The flurry of Pakistan leaders' visits followed the Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi's visit to Islamabad on August 20-22 to attend the sixth strategic dialogue.