China building a surrogate force on India's western border

China on Sunday has launched the first of four most advanced warships it is building for Pakistan amid deepening military and strategic ties with Islamabad.

The Type 054A/P, a guided missile frigate, is the largest combat ship China has sold to a foreign navy.

China is building these four most sophisticated naval platforms at a Chinese shipyard in Shanghai.

According to reports, each ship is worth 350 million dollars.

The cash strapped Pakistan is not able to pay for it but despite Pakistan's poor credit ratings China is more than willing to supply weapons to the Pakistani defence forces.

The missile frigate called the backbone of the Chinese naval forces. China is arming Pakistan with the same weapons that it uses. Reports say the frigate comes equipped with modern weapons and sensors.

It can conduct anti-ship, anti-submarine and air-defence operations.it can multiply the combat capabilities of the Pakistani naval fleet.

This frigate is roughly the same size as the Indian navy's existing Talwar frigates. The ones that India bought from Russia.

China is building a surrogate force on India's western border. A force armed with Chinese weapons and ready to do China's bidding. Pakistan is part of China’s belt and road initiative.

With its mounting debt, it is a vassal state of China and now, a vital component in China's string of pearls.

China's string of pearls is a network of ports and military assets to surround India from all sides. Stretching from Djibouti in Africa — to Myanmar in the east, China has been building assets. China denies claims that it wants to militarize these ports but at least — two ports on this map, are already militarised.

Djibouti is China’s first overseas military base. It has an estimated area of nearly 250 thousand square feet. The base is capable of hosting 10 thousand troops. Once china announced the Djibouti base — its intention was quite clear. Beijing wants a blue water navy — that can operate outside the immediate neighbourhood of China.

And now — it seems like the Gwadar base in Pakistan is going the Djibouti way. A satellite has caught what looks like a high-security compound at the Gwadar port.

Now, there are clear takeaways for India, one — China and Pakistan are stepping up their military ties. Two, this is an attempt to challenge India in every military theatre.