Integral Pak-China partnership and the West ?
PM Imran Khan has been to China on a four-day official visit (Feb 3-6). By all reasonable accounts, the Pakistan-China partnership — often cited as a paragon of inter-state relationships— has profoundly emerged over the last 70 years.
The current 33 point Joint Pak-China statement is an affirmation of this belief. Unsurprisingly, this unique partnership is underpinned by the rationale — of mutual trust, common interests and a convergent outlook — based on military, diplomatic, geopolitical and geo-economic factors.
Arguably, given the emergence of Pakistan as a nascent state in a hostile environment in the “neighbourhood”, this security-cum-economic narrative became highly inevitable for Pakistan’s political and security elite. But the West, particularly the US views this partnership with a jaundiced eye.
Military dynamics: The most important aspect of China-Pakistan military relations is the Chinese commitment to strengthen Pakistan’s indigenous weapon industry in manufacturing military equipment by mutual collaboration.
In 1980, China assisted Pakistan in erecting a Heavy Rebuild Factory renamed Heavy Industries Taxila (HIT).
This Complex has manufactured and refurbished various Chinese and Western origin military components, including the al-Zarrar and al-Khalid tanks that have become front-line weapons and formed the backbone of Pakistan’s artillery (Deepak, 2006).
HIT is also working on next-generation hybrid al-Hayder tank. Hallmark of Pakistan–China joint collaboration is the Joint-Fighter 17 (JF-Thunder) (Niazi, 2006).
Development of this multi-role fighter jet started in 1999 with Chinese collaboration at Pakistan Aeronautical Complex and the Chengdu Aircraft Corporation (CAC) in China (Dawn 2015)
JF-17 has given Pakistan remarkable excellence by producing a modern battlefield fighter aircraft equipped with all offensive and defensive capabilities (Dawn 2015).Recently, the Pakistan Army inducted its first batch of Chinese-made VT-4 battle tanks.
The VT-4 tanks, built by the Chinese state-owned defence manufacturer, Norinco, were supplied to Pakistan starting in April 2020. Pakistan is the third country to procure the VT-4 tanks, after Thailand and Nigeria.
In December 2020, China decided to sell 50 Wing Loong II UCAVs to Pakistan, claiming that it “would be a nightmare for Indian ground formations in high-altitude areas as India’s military does not have the ability to respond to the new-age stand-off weapons.”
Diplomatic, geo economic dynamics: Pakistan has played a role in China’s rapprochement with the US and its entry into international organisations like the World Bank.
The relationship has been pertinent to the development of Beijing’s links with the Middle Eastern states as well. Currently, China’s quest for energy security via its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has placed Pakistan at the centre of its geo-economic and geopolitical strategy.
Successive leaders of Pakistan and China have invested in the relationship which is now deeply entrenched at the grassroots level.
A vision and idealism guide this relationship. Intellectuals, civil society and the media have also played an important role in consolidating the friendship.
Further, Beijing and Islamabad demonstrate not only a mutuality of interests, but also an earnest desire to further broaden this partnership.
Pakistan considers its relationship with China to be the cornerstone of its foreign policy, while China calls it as its highest priority.
The level of mutual trust is conspicuous in their support for each other on core issues of national interests. Pakistan has extended support to China on Xinjiang, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Tibet and South China Sea issues, and at the Human Rights Council.
While the parties are proactively promoting, facilitating and executing the long-term industrial development plan, the CPEC is a framework of regional connectivity, infrastructure development and industrial cooperation which will not only benefit the parties but also have a positive impact in the region.
Pakistan and China signed different agreements worth $10-15 billion during the recent visit of Pak Prime Minister Imran Khan to China, including rollover of $4 billion deposits, fresh loan of $4 billion, and other projects.
Security & strategic dynamics: On its part, China is the only major power that unequivocally supports Pakistan’s efforts to safeguard its independence and sovereignty.
It is willing to invest in developing a strategic partnership with Pakistan, as against ups and downs, it has witnessed in its relationship with the US.
Beijing takes a principled stand on the issue of Pakistan’s membership of the Nuclear Supplier’s Group (NSG), its listing in the Financial Action Task Force and sanctions.
China recognises Kashmir as a dispute between India and Pakistan and calls for a peaceful solution in line with the UN Charter, UNSC resolutions, and bilateral agreements between India and Pakistan. Thus, China opposed India’s unilateral action of revoking the special status of Jammu and Kashmir in August 2019.
The critical western role: It is argued that whilst Pakistan still values its relationship with the West, particularly, the US views Pak-China relationship with a polarized thinking —branding Pakistan as China’s satellite sate.
Whereas both China and the US have a common interest in economic stabilization of Pakistan, averting nuclear conflict between India and Pakistan and assuring that economic and political stability in Afghanistan is core of regional peace.
The US must avoid viewing its bilateral relationship with Pakistan exclusively through the lens of its competition with China.
Washington must be wary of Chinese-Pakistani pressure on India and focus on mediation and conflict resolution mechanisms to prevent conflict in the Himalayas from spinning out of control.
And most importantly, the Biden Administration must do more to hold India accountable for its human rights abuses in Kashmir, which remain a major source of conflict in South Asia and a major reason for Pakistan to continue deepening its strategic relationship with China.
The fact is: Balochistan Liberation Army intermittently targets the CPEC projects in Pakistan with alleged Indian support.
Washington needs to apply greater pressure on India to prevent it from similarly targeting Pakistan and its CPEC projects.
The latest terrorist attacks on Pakistan security forces in Baluchistan serve as impeccable evidence to Pakistan’s security concerns.
To save South Asia from becoming a proxy arena for the US-Chinese rivalry, a revisiting of Washington’s growing reliance on New Delhi to counterbalance Beijing is absolutely inevitable, especially on matters that could spoil America’s longstanding relationship with Pakistan. Therefore, a meaningful reset between Pakistan-US ties is an impending order of the day.
—The writer, an independent ‘IR’ researcher-cum-international law analyst based in Pakistan, is member of European Consortium for Political Research Standing Group on IR, Critical Peace & Conflict Studies, also a member of Washington Foreign Law Society and European Society of International Law.
