Asif Ali Zardari, the President of Pakistan, stressed that his country and China will further expand their cooperation in defense production and aviation — a move which he said would deepen the “all-weather and everlasting” strategic partnership between the two nations.
Zardari made these remarks during his historic visit to the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), the largest aerospace and defense complex in China, which had never before been visited by a foreign president.
Referring to the role of the J-10 and JF-17 fighter jets in strengthening the capabilities of Pakistan’s Air Force, he said these aircraft proved their effectiveness during the “Marka-i-Haq” (Battle of Truth) and “Bunyanum Marsoos” operations against Indian aggression.
During the visit, the President met with AVIC engineers and scientists and was briefed on the corporation’s advanced projects, including the fifth-generation stealth fighter J-20, drones, automated systems, and multidimensional command-and-control platforms.
Zardari’s trip to China came just 128 days after a ceasefire was reached between Pakistan and India — an agreement brokered by the United States following four days of border clashes.
He was accompanied on this visit by Bilawal Bhutto, Asifa Bhutto, Senator Saleem Mandviwalla, Pakistan’s Ambassador to China Khalid Hashmi, and China’s Ambassador to Pakistan Jiang Zaidong.
Zardari described AVIC as a symbol of China’s technological progress and a sign of the enduring unity between Islamabad and Beijing.
