During the visit of China, Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS) Admiral Naveed Ashraf attended the 19^th Western Pacific Naval Symposium (WPNS) at Qingdao and delivered a speech on “Maritime Security Cooperation and Maritime Order based on International Law and Extensive Consultation” along with Chiefs of French and Royal Thai Navy as joint panel members.

The 19^th WPNS focused on the theme “Oceans with a Shared Future” which was attended by heads and representatives of navies from across the world. During the symposium bilateral meetings between the Naval Chief and naval leaderships of WPNS members and observer states were also held. CNS Admiral Naveed Ashraf interacted with Commander U.S. Pacific Fleet, First Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Staff of the Royal Navy, C-in-C Russian Federation Navy, Chief of Indonesian Navy, Chief of Bangladesh Navy, Chief of Naval Operations of Republic of Korea Navy, Chief of Republic of Singapore Navy and Acting Deputy Commander of Brunei Navy to discuss matters of mutual interest. CNS focused on Pakistan Navy’s (PN) contributions to regional maritime security and emphasized on collaboration between the navies to enhance maritime security of the region. He also stressed upon greater collaboration among Western Pacific countries to exploit potentials of Blue Economy.
PN joined WPNS as observer in 2014. It proactively participates in WPNS as it provides a platform to the participating nations to work together for regional peace and maritime security through collaborative approach. The recent visit of CNS would greatly augment the bilateral cooperation with participating navies for enhancing regional and global maritime security.