Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has approved a deal "years in the making" to buy eight submarines from China, a Pakistani government official said yesterday, in what could be one of China's largest overseas weapons sales once it is signed.
The official, who was present at Tuesday's meeting of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Defence which was briefed by the navy, said the deal to buy the diesel-electric submarines would likely be signed by President Xi Jinping when he visits, "but that is still not final".
Xi was due to travel to Pakistan this month, the government in Islamabad has said.
China and Pakistan call each other "all-weather friends" and their close ties have been underpinned by long-standing wariness of their common neighbour and rival, India, and a desire to hedge against US influence across the region.
"The prime minister has approved buying eight submarines from China and these would be used to bolster Pakistan's strength," the official said.
"Some officials are travelling to China even today. Work is ongoing," he said. "This deal is years in the making."