International Business Times:
China and Pakistan on Friday discussed co-producing ballistic missiles and advanced military aircraft during Pakistan’s new Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa’s first visit to China, according to State media.
The discussion between the countries has come a few months after China denounced India’s development of ballistic missiles and slammed the fourth test of Agni V as a violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions.
Talks between visiting Pakistani Army Chief and Fang Fenghui, chief of the Joint Staff Department under the Central Military Commission of China, covered weapon exchanges, including the mass production of FC-1 Xiaolong- a lightweight and multi-role combat aircraft developed jointly by the two countries, according to the Global Times– a tabloid affiliated with the People’s Daily group.
China has given “authorisation to Pakistan to produce ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, anti-aircraft missiles, anti-ship missiles and main battle tanks in Pakistan”, the tabloid stated, according to India Today.
The spokesperson for Chinese Foreign Ministry Hua Chunying, however, said that the ministry was not aware of any missile cooperation agreement between the countries.
“The Chinese military released information on meetings between the Pakistan Chief of Army Staff with his [Chinese] counterpart. From the news release we didn’t see anything on an agreement on ballistic missiles. What I can tell you is China and Pakistan maintain normal defence exchanges and relevant cooperation,” Hua Chunying said…
