UAE seeks closer air force ties with China as leaders meet in Beijing

A file photo of a UAE F-16 combat aircraft. While the Gulf state has traditionally enjoyed strong procurement and operational ties with the West, the UAE AFAD is now also seeking closer co-operation with the PLAAF in China. (Lockheed Martin)

The chief of joint operations for the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Armed Forces has met with the head of China's People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) as the two countries look to promote closer co-operation between their respective air forces.

The UAE Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced the meeting on 23 April, saying that on the same day Major General Saleh Mohammed bin Mejren Al Ameri, commander of Joint Operations, had met with Lieutenant General Chang Dingqiu, commander of the PLAAF, at the headquarters of the Chinese MoD in Beijing.

“During the meeting, a number of topics related to the fields of joint military co-operation and work between the two countries and ways to support and develop them were discussed. The meeting was attended by a number of senior officers and officials of the MoDs of the two countries,” the UAE MoD said.

Though traditionally a customer of Western military equipment, the UAE Air Force and Air Defence (AFAD) has increasingly been buying from China. The UAE AFAD is known to have been operating the Wing Loong I unmanned aircraft system since 2015, and satellite imagery taken in January 2018 at Qusahwira Air Base revealed the Wing Loong II has been in UAE AFAD service since at least October 2017.