Pakistan, China hold maritime cooperation dialogue

Pakistan and China on Tuesday held the Second Maritime Cooperation Dialogue in Islamabad and agreed to enhance their cooperation in the maritime domain, a statement said.

Representatives from various government departments of the two sides also attended the dialogue and reviewed overall maritime situation in the region, security of sea lanes of communication, anti-piracy cooperation, rescue and relief operations, maritime science and technology cooperation and exchanges between the two navies.

Lauding the Chinese Belt and Road initiative, the prime minister's foreign affairs adviser Sartaj Aziz stressed the need for greater maritime cooperation between the two countries, a foreign ministry statement said.

The Chinese delegation head, Assistant Minister (Asia and Consular Affairs) Kong Xuanyou, expressed satisfaction over the progress in bilateral Maritime Cooperation Dialogue, and said that many new proposals have been shared by both the sides which would promote cooperation between the two countries, the statement said.

Both sides also expressed satisfaction over the progress achieved since the first round of dialogue held in Beijing on July 8, 2014.