The reception was arranged at the deck of 3000-tonne Chinese made Ship Shamsheer at Qingdao naval port.

Speaking on the occasion Mission Commander, Commodore Amjad Niazi said that Pakistan Navy deeply values the support provided by Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) Navy and expressed the confidence that the lasting association between the two navies would be taken to new heights in future.

Rear Admiral Sun De Zhong, Deputy Commander North Sea Fleet, congratulated the ship formation on this visit, which he said, has further strengthened the ties between the two nations.

The reception was attended by North Sea Fleet Commander, Vice Admiral Tian Zhong; Chief of Staff of Pakistan Navy, Vice Admiral Asif Sandila; officers of the PLA Navy, defence attaches of various countries and officials of the Pakistan Embassy.

Two Pakistan Navy ships, PNS Shamsheer and PNS Nasr arrived at Qingdao port on the morning of 19th July after a journey of 30 days to join the celebrations.

Qingdao, the capital of Shandong province, is a major seaport, naval base and industrial centre of eastern China.

Copyright APP (Associated Press of Pakistan), 2011