BEIJING, Feb. 11 -- A fleet of the People's Liberation Army Navy on Thursday set off for Pakistan to attend a multilateral joint naval exercise at the invitation of the Pakistani navy, China's Ministry of National Defense said.

The drill, code-named "Peace-21," is set to be conducted in waters near the city of Karachi, the ministry said in a statement.

It is the eighth time for a Chinese naval fleet to participate in such exercises organized by the Pakistani navy, which are aimed at strengthening exchanges and friendly interactions with navies of relevant countries, said the statement.