China pushing its political narrative abroad

Beijing : Recent reports have emerged that Pakistan has finalized a deal to buy eight submarines from China, according to the country’s Minister for Defense Production Tanveer Hussain.Speaking at the opening of a new exhibition center at the Defense Export Promotion Organization, he noted four submarines will be constructed in China and the remainder in Pakistan simultaneously under a transfer of technology agreement. Observers believe the boats will be based on the S-20, an export variant of the Type 041 (Yuan-class) diesel-electric submarine.It is thought Pakistan will opt for air-independent propulsion (AIP) on its boats, technology that significantly extends their underwater endurance. Little detail is available about the performance of the S-20, although Hussain said a training facility would be established in Karachi, and the state-owned Karachi Shipyard and Engineering Works will be responsible for construction.From 1995-2012, China placed into service 40 locally produced submarines, an average of 2.2 boats per year, according to a Congressional Research Service report issued by the USA in July. While the acoustic performance of Chinese submarines does not approach that of Russian and US submarines, its designs are obviously improving enough to attract a first export order.Construction of Pakistan’s boats could commence by mid-2016. Pakistan will use its conventional submarines for sea-denial patrols, but may also create a nuclear deterrent against India thanks to submarine-launched versions of the Babur cruise missile equipped with a nuclear warhead.Karachi’s eventual induction of new submarines shows the wisdom of the Indian Navy in investing in Boeing P-8I Neptune maritime patrol aircraft that have good anti-submarine warfare capabilities.