ISLAMABAD: China has been extending support to its all-weather allyPakistan with an aim to counter any external maritime threat. The latest inits series of efforts, China is building eight submarines for Pakistan toensure a tough competition to the Indian Navy in the Indian Ocean.linklink
Media reports quoting sources suggested on Monday that under ProjectHangor, China’s shipbuilding industry is building the submarines which willsoon be handed over to Pakistan. India, as of now, has 16 submarines whilePakistan has 10. The acquisition of new submarines is a part of Pakistan’seffort to scale up its capabilities in underwater warfare.
At a time when instances of Indian troops infiltrating into the Chineseterritory is also not new, the submarines will add to Pakistan’s strengthand are likely to be a headache for the Indian Navy.linklink
The move comes at a time when China has already successfully launched tworemote sensing satellites for Pakistan. Indians believe that these willalso help keep an eye on India. The satellites — PRSS-1 and PakTES-1A–were launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in northwest Chinausing a Long March-2C rocket.
The PRSS-1 is China’s first optical remote sensing satellite sold toPakistan. It is the 17th satellite developed by the China Academy of SpaceTechnology (CAST) for an overseas buyer. It is being said that the PRSS-1will be used for land and resources surveying, monitoring naturaldisasters, agriculture research, and urban construction and providingremote sensing information for the CPEC under the Belt and Road Initiative(BRI) of the Chinese government.linklink
The CPEC is a network of infrastructure projects that are currently underconstruction throughout Pakistan that will connect China’s Xinjiangprovince with the Gwadar Port in Pakistan’s Balochistan province, givingChina an opening to the Arabian Sea.
The satellite can turn at wide angles to enable the cameras to cover awider range. The PRSS-1 has an information security design, and the datacan be encrypted.