BEIJING -- A Chinese naval fleet consisting of the vessels of Baotou and Gaoyouhu will participate in a multinational joint exercise in Pakistan this February at the invitation of the Pakistani military, China's Ministry of National Defense said Thursday.

During the exercise, code-named "Peace-2025," participating vessels will conduct drills focused on maritime resupply, joint anti-piracy operations, search and rescue, and air defense, which are aimed at enhancing the capability of jointly safeguarding maritime security, the ministry said.