Islamabad, Pakistan (CWBN)_ China’s People’s Liberation Army issued a statement yesterday (7th Dec) that it dispatched troops and fighter jets to a Pakistani air base in Bholari, Sindh, which is located near the Indian border near Gujarat, to participate in joint military exercises, dubbed “Shaheen IX”.
The drill to be carried out by the air units is expected to develop “actual combat training” of the two countries, however, the statement did not provide any information regarding the deployment of air units.
It is expected that the drills would be concluded by the end of December.
The statement claimed that the exercise would “promote the development of China-Pakistan mil-to-mil [military to military] relationships, deepen practical cooperation between the two air forces and improve the actual-combat training level of the two sides.”
The development follows the turbulence that was triggered along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) of the China-India border in east Ladakh, during which several Indian and an undisclosed number of Chinese soldiers were killed.
The previous version of the exercises were held in September last year incorporating a total of 50 warplanes.
