Beijing, Oct 22: Chinese and Pakistani warships today carried out a joint rescue exercise off the coast of Shanghai in the East China Sea, signalling the end of a self-imposed ban on naval exercise by the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) with a foreign navy. "This was the first time for the Chinese naval forces to conduct a joint exercise with their foreign counterpart in a non-traditional security field," the official Xinhua news agency reported from Shanghai.
The exercise, code-named 'Dolphin 0310', was launched early in the afternoon in Shanghai, involving one Pakistani destroyer and a supply ship as well as a frigate and a supply ship on the Chinese side.
The exercise included communications, search for the ship from both the air and sea, relocation of wounded sailors by ship-borne helicopters and the efforts of the warships in helping put out the fire on the ship.
The exercise was jointly commanded by Vice Admiral Zhang Deshun, Chief of Staff of the East China Sea Fleet of the Chinese navy, and Commodore Shafi of the Pakistani Navy.
Bureau Report