Battleships from India and countries like Singapore and Australia arrived in eastern Chinese city of Qingdao on Sunday to take part in a maritime parade to mark the 70th anniversary of the People’s Liberation Army Navy .
China is on Tuesday expected to display new warships, including nuclear submarines, destroyers, warplanes and the country’s first aircraft carrier, at the parade in the Yellow Sea off the Qingdao coast. Over a dozen foreign navies will take part in it.
As HT reported on April 7, Pakistani Navy will be conspicuous by its absence at the parade. Pakistan has not dispatched any warship for the event that includes an international fleet review (IFR), to be inspected by Chinese President Xi Jinping on April 23.
China is among Pakistan’s closest allies. It is believed that the Indian Navy’s heightened deployment in the Arabian sea region may be the reason for Pakistan’s absence.
The deployment was increased amid tensions between New Delhi and Islamabad following the February 14 attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama.