A J-10CE fighter jet conducts test flight and hosts training for its pilot shortly before it is delivered to the Pakistan Air Force on March 11, 2022. Photo: Courtesy of AVIC

China is displaying many advanced weapons and equipment, including drone and anti-drone systems, at an ongoing defense expo in Pakistan, a move analysts said on Wednesday indicates that the two countries' defense cooperation will continue to deepen under their ironclad friendship, with Pakistan's armed forces already operating advanced main battle equipment of Chinese origin.

The 11th session of the International Defense Exhibition and Seminar (IDEAS) kicked off on Tuesday at the Karachi Expo Center in Pakistan's southern port city of Karachi, with seven Chinese defense trade companies participating under the delegation "China Defence" led by the country's State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defence, the Xinhua News Agency reported on Wednesday.

Exhibits of the Chinese delegation include the Wing Loong series drones, CH series drones, the WJ-700 drone, a comprehensive anti-drone system, a type of multi-role drone ship, the Y-9E transport aircraft, the LY-70 air defense system, the VT4 main battle tank, the SR5 multiple launch rocket system, the YLC-2E multi-role radar, a command information system, an electronic warfare defense system and a communications navigation system, Xinhua reported.

Delegates from more than 50 countries and regions are attending the four-day show, and the Chinese delegation is one of the largest national delegations at the event, the report said.

China's State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defence said that the Chinese delegation's participation in international defense expos aims to display the country's advanced military equipment and technologies, promote international cooperation and communication in science, technology and industry for national defense, and build a defense security community to safeguard regional peace and stability, according to Xinhua.

Pakistani Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari attended the opening ceremony of the IDEAS and visited the Chinese delegation. A Pakistani defense official was quoted as saying that China's military equipment and technologies are famous internationally, and defense cooperation between Pakistan and China is exemplary.

The armed forces of Pakistan have commissioned many advanced weapons and equipment of Chinese origin, including the VT4 main battle tank, the SH-15 self-propelled howitzer, the Type 054A/P frigate, the JF-17 fighter jet, the J-10C fighter jet and the ZDK-03 early warning aircraft, according to official announcements and media reports.

China and Pakistan are expected to continue to deepen their defense cooperation, as Chinese weapons and equipment have boosted Pakistan's national defense as a system, a Chinese military expert who requested anonymity told the Global Times on Wednesday.

With China-Pakistan defense cooperation as an example, the expo is also a chance for China to have more defense cooperation with other countries in the region, the expert said.

The Russia-Ukraine crisis has highlighted the importance of drones and anti-drone systems, and Chinese defense firms have answers to that, the expert said.

Pakistan has consistently held the biennial event since 2000, except in 2020, when the event was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. IDEAS has become a defense expo of key influence in Asia, Xinhua said.