BEIJING, April 25: China is willing to cooperate with Pakistan in the development of shipbuilding industry. This was stated by an official of Tianjin Ship Building Company while talking to APP. He said they had prepared a comprehensive plan to develop their partnership with neighbouring countries in the shipping sector.

“Pakistan is our close friend and good partner,” the official said, adding that his country was looking forward to promoting mutually beneficial Sino-Pakistan cooperative partnership.

He also referred to the recent successful visit of Premier Wen Jiabao to Pakistan and said it had injected new vigour into their economic relationship. Recently, China is facing increasing demands from the international market and stepping into a new era of growth.

Latest statistics from the customs of China’s northern port city of Tianjin said that during the last six months, the city’s shipbuilding companies had received a total contract value of $38.92 million of overseas ship orders, a year-on-year increase of 45.6 per cent.

China has remained the world’s third largest shipbuilder for nine consecutive years since 1996, behind only South Korea and Japan.

In 2003, China’s shipbuilding industry delivered a total of 6 million dwt of vessels, accounting for 10 per cent of ships built worldwide. China’s new ship order in 2003 reached 18 million dead weight tonnage (dwt), increasing its global share of 13 per cent in 2002 to 18 per cent in 2003.

Currently, more than 70 per cent of China’s ship orders come from overseas buyers.

In China, six major shipbuilding bases centred with the country’s eastern coastal line are taking shape. Booming shipbuilding companies are state-owned, joint-ventures and the privately-owned.—APP