An Indian navy spokesperson, Capt D K Sharma said on Friday that the Indian Navy has dispatched two of its warships to China to take part in an international fleet review being staged at Qingdao to mark the 70th anniversary of the Chinese navy. He further added that the locally-built stealth guided-missile destroyer INS Kolkata and fleet support ship INS Shakti are set to reach China’s east coast on April 21.
Indian naval ships arrive, Pakistan to miss Chinese navy’s fleet review
Chinese President Xi Jinping is scheduled to witness the IFR on April 23. And the two warships will be a part of the maritime parade. As reported by Hindustan Times on April 7, the Pakistani navy is unlikely to send warships to take part in China’s high-profile maritime parade and at least two Pakistani ships were expected to attend the review. However, the withdrawal of the Pakistani ships hasn’t been announced officially but the reason behind it could be the current heavy deployment of the Indian navy in the Arabian Sea, HR reported. The spokesperson said, “The IFR serves as an ideal platform for world’s navies to showcase their prowess and indigenous ship-designing and building capabilities. The visit of the Indian Navy’s most potent destroyer and versatile fleet support ship showcases India’s indigenous ship-building capability.”
Indian, Australian, Japanese warships arrive in China for naval parade
China’s defence spokesman Col Wu Qian said last month that over 60 countries would join the commemorative event on 23 April.
IFR is a parade of naval ships, aircraft, and submarines, and is organized by nations to promote goodwill, strengthen cooperation and showcase their naval capabilities.
Pak not to send ships for Chinese Navy’s birthday parade
India had organized an IFR off Visakhapatnam in February 2016 which saw the participation of nearly 100 warships from 50 countries.
INS Kolkata is an indigenously built stealth guided missile destroyer equipped with state-of-the-art weapons and sensors to address threats in all dimensions of naval warfare. INS Shakti is a fleet support ship.
A military official said it will be for the first time Indian warships would be visiting China after the Doklam standoff.
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