Staff Report
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and China have agreed to maintain ongoing communication and strengthen coordination on maritime policies, besides continuing to deepen both bilateral and multilateral cooperation in the sector.
The bilateral ties and cooperation were discussed during the Fifth Round of the Pakistan-China Dialogue on Maritime Cooperation held in Beijing on Tuesday, according to a Foreign Office press release.
The dialogue was co-chaired by Additional Secretary (Asia-Pacific) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan, Imran Ahmed Siddiqui, and Director General of the Department of Boundary and Ocean Affairs of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs Hong Liang.
The two sides positively reviewed the progress of their cooperation since the fourth round of the dialogue.
They engaged in in-depth discussions on maritime security, marine economy, marine science and technology, and the marine environment, reaching broad consensus on various issues.
Both sides reaffirmed that high-level maritime cooperation was a crucial component of the All-weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership between Pakistan and China and reiterated the commitment to jointly building a Pakistan-China maritime community with a shared future.
The two sides also agreed to hold the Sixth Round of the Pakistan-China Dialogue on Maritime Cooperation in Pakistan at an appropriate time next year.
Earlier, China has ordered its airlines not to take any further deliveries of Boeing jets in response to the U.S. decision to impose 145% tariffs on Chinese goods, Bloomberg News reported on Tuesday, citing people familiar with the matter.
Shares of Boeing — which looks at China as one of its biggest growth markets and where rival Airbus holds a dominant position — were down 2% in early trading.
The global aerospace industry is in the middle of a full-blown tariff war, with planemakers, airlines and suppliers reviewing contracts worth billions of dollars, after U.S. supplier Howmet Aerospace ignited an debate over who should bear the cost of the tariffs.
China’s top three airlines – Air China, China Eastern Airlines and China Southern Airlines – had planned to take delivery of 45, 53 and 81 Boeing planes, respectively, between 2025 and 2027.
Beijing has also asked that Chinese carriers halt purchases of aircraft-related equipment and parts from U.S. companies, the Bloomberg report said.
China’s move to halt purchases of aircraft-related components is expected to raise maintenance costs for the jets flying in the country.
The Chinese government is also considering ways to provide assistance to airlines that lease Boeing jets and are facing higher costs, Bloomberg News reported.
It was China that first grounded Boeing’s 737 MAX jets after two fatal crashes in 2018 and 2019 killed nearly 350 people. China had also suspended most orders and deliveries of the jet in 2019.
