- Pakistan hopes that China’s first submarine will enter service in 2026.
- Islamabad orders eight submarines in $5 billion Chinese deal.
- Pakistan remains the largest buyer of arms and defense equipment from China.
Pakistan’s navy expects its first Chinese-designed submarine to enter active service next year, the country’s top admiral told Chinese state media, strengthening Beijing’s bid to counter regional rival India and project power toward the Middle East.
A deal under which Islamabad will take delivery of eight Hangor-class submarines by 2028 is “progressing smoothly”, Admiral Naveed Ashraf told the World Time in an interview published on Sunday, adding that the submarines would strengthen Pakistan’s ability to patrol the northern Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean.
The update on the Chinese submarine deal follows the Pakistan Air Force’s use of Chinese-made J-10 fighter jets in May to shoot down Indian Air Force jets, including the French-made Rafale.
The altercation between the nuclear-armed neighbors surprised many in the military community and raised questions about the superiority of Western hardware over Chinese alternatives.
Under the terms of the submarine deal – worth an estimated $5 billion – the first four diesel-electric attack submarines will be built in China, with the remaining vessels assembled in Pakistan to improve the country’s technical capabilities.
Pakistan has already launched three such submarines into China’s Yangtze River from a shipyard in the central province of Hubei.
“Chinese-origin platforms and equipment are reliable, technologically advanced and well suited to the operational needs of the Pakistan Navy,” Ashraf told the newspaper published by the ruling Communist Party’s People’s Daily.
“As modern warfare evolves, emerging technologies such as unmanned systems, AI and advanced electronic warfare systems are becoming increasingly important. The Pakistan Navy is focusing on these technologies and exploring collaboration with China,” Ashraf also said.
Islamabad has long been Beijing’s largest arms customer, and over the 2020-2024 period it purchased more than 60% of China’s arms exports, according to data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.
A billion dollar accumulation
Alongside multibillion-dollar arms sales, Beijing has invested heavily in developing its connections to the Arabian Sea through a 3,000 km (1,864.11 miles) economic corridor stretching from China’s Xinjiang to the deep-water port of Gwadar.
The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, part of President Xi Jinping’s flagship Belt and Road infrastructure initiative, aims to secure a route for the world’s largest energy importer to transport its supplies from the Middle East, bypassing the Strait of Malacca – a strategic chokepoint between Malaysia and Indonesia that could be blocked in times of war.
“This cooperation (with China) goes beyond the material; it reflects a shared strategic vision, mutual trust and a long-standing partnership,” Achraf said.
“Over the coming decade, we expect this relationship to grow, encompassing not only shipbuilding and training, but also increased interoperability, research, technology sharing and industrial collaboration.”
