Pakistan China Relations
Sino-Pak Relations
People's Republic of China–Pakistan relations began in 1950 when Pakistan was among the first countries to break relations with the Republic of China on Taiwan and recognize the PRC. Following the 1962 Sino-Indian War, both countries has placed considerable importance on the maintenance of a extremely close and supportive relationship. Since then, the two countries have regularly exchanged high-level visits resulting in a variety of agreements. The PRC has provided economic, military and technical assistance to Pakistan and each considers the other a close strategic ally.
Bilateral relations have evolved from an initial Chinese policy of neutrality to a partnership that links a smaller but militarily powerful Pakistan, partially dependent on China for its economic and military strength, with China attempting to balance competing interests in the region. Diplomatic relations were established in 1950, military assistance began in 1966, a strategic alliance was formed in 1972 and economic co-operation began in 1979. China has become Pakistan’s largest supplier of arms and its third-largest trading partner. Recently, both nations have decided to cooperate in improving Pakistan's civilian nuclear program.
Favorable relations with China is a pillar of Pakistan's foreign policy. China supported Pakistan's opposition to the Soviet Union's intervention in Afghanistan and is perceived by Pakistan as a regional counterweight to India and the United States. China and Pakistan also share close military relations, with China supplying a range of modern armaments to the Pakistani defense forces. China supports Pakistan's stance on Kashmir while Pakistan supports China on the issues of Xinjiang, Tibet, and Taiwan. Lately, military cooperation has deepened with joint projects producing armaments ranging from fighter jets to guided missile frigates.
Chinese cooperation with Pakistan has reached economic high points, with substantial Chinese investment in Pakistani infrastructural expansion including the Pakistani deep water port at Gwadar. Both countries have an ongoing free trade agreement. Pakistan has served as China's main bridge between Muslim countries. Pakistan also played an important role in bridging the communication gap between China and the West by facilitating the 1972 Nixon visit to China.
Important events:-
1950 - Pakistan becomes the third non-communist country, and first Muslim one, to recognize the People's Republic of China.
1951 - Beijing and Karachi establish diplomatic relations.
1963 - Pakistan cedes the Trans-Karakoram Tract to China, ending border disputes.
1970 - Pakistan helps the U.S. arrange the 1972 Nixon visit to China.
1978 - The Karakoram Highway linking the mountainous Northern Pakistan with Western China officially opens.
1980 - China and the U.S. provide support through Pakistan to the Afghan guerrillas fighting Soviet occupational forces.
1986 - China and Pakistan reach a comprehensive nuclear co-operation agreement.
1996 - Chinese President Jiang Zemin pays a state visit to Pakistan.
1999 - A 300-megawatt nuclear power plant, built with Chinese help in Punjab province, is completed.
2001 - A joint-ventured Chinese-Pakistani tank, the MBT-2000 (Al-Khalid) MBT is completed.
2002 - The building of the Gwadar deep sea port begins, with China as the primary investor.
2003 - Pakistan and China signed a $110 million contract for the construction of a housing project on Multan Road in Lahore.
2007 - The Sino-Pakistani joint-ventured multirole fighter aircraft - the JF-17 Thunder (FC-1 Fierce Dragon) is formally rolled out.
2008 - Pakistan welcomes the Chinese Olympic Torch in an Islamabad sports stadium, under heavy guard amidst security concerns.
2008 - China and Pakistan sign an free trade agreement.
2008 - Pakistan and China to build a railway through the Karakoram Highway, in order to link China's rail network to Gwadar Port.
2008 - The F-22P frigate, comes into service with the Pakistani Navy.
2009 - The ISI arrest several suspected Uyghur terrorists seeking refuge in Pakistan.
2010 - Pakistan and China conduct a joint anti-terrorism drill.
2010 - China donates $260 million in dollars to flood hit Pakistan and sends 4 military rescue helicopters to assist in rescue operations.
2010 - Wen Jiabao visits Pakistan. More than 30 billion dollars worth of deals were signed.
2011 - Pakistan is expected to buy air to air SD 10 missiles from China for its 250 JF 17 thunder fighter fleet
Background:-
While admitting the expansionist tendencies of Communist China in South East Asia-hence Pakistan's membership in SEATO - Pakistan had shown little concern over China as a threat to Pakistan itself. Pakistan was not only the first country to recognise China but it always supported China's claim to the Chinese seat in United Nations. Trading between the two countries began in 1950 and each year Pakistan turned to increase its export of cotton and jute to China. Apprehension over Great Britain's possible entry into the European common market had caused Pakistani salesmen to search for new market everywhere, particularly in Asia. In 1963, Pakistan and china signed a new trade agreement.
India attacked China but was beaten back. Chineese troops entered deep into indian territory in the fall of 1962 and Indian troops retreated. The brightening of Pakistan - China relations actually began when China and India started quarelling over defined Himalayas borders. In 1961, Pakistan approached China requesting negotiations over the borders of Azad Kashmir and China. Before long, Pakistan took other steps to strengthen its relations with China. In June, 1963, the head of Pakistan international Airlines visited China to work out details of air service from Karachi and Dhaka to cities of China.
At the same time, Chineese trade officials began arriving in Pakistan for new talks. In february 1964, Chineese Premier Late Chou Enlai visited Pakistan and declared that Communist China supported Pakistan's demand for a plebicite in Kashmir.
In the serious business of international relations, the old Machiavellian principle of "my enemy's enemy is my friend" Frequently guides a nation's policy for communist China, friendship with Pakistan was not only valuable but it fits the principle. In Chineese, Pakistan found a best and most reliable friend. China always helped Pakistan economically and military when there was no hope for external help. China also assisted Pakistan setting up a number of factories in Pakistan including Larkana Sugar Mills, Taxila Heavy Industries Complex. The relations between the two countries improved gradually.
Pakistan’s Nuclear Program and Chinese Role:-
China helped Pakistan in developing its Nuclear program. though Pakistan’s program is Uranium based–different that that of China. Pakistan already has a nuclear deal. China already has setup two nuclear power plants Chasnupp 1 (300 MW) and Chasnupp 2 (300 MW). The Chashma Nuclear Power Plant is located at Chashma, Punjab, Pakistan. It consists of Chashma Nuclear Power Plant I (CHASNUPP-1) and Chashma Nuclear Power Plant II (CHASNUPP-2). CHASNUPP-3 (600MW under construction) and CHASNUPP-4 (2000 MW planned to be completed before 2030) are in the planning stages. China does not make any 1000 MW plants, so the Chasnupp 4 and Chasnupp 5 etc will be much larger plants beginning in 2010. A series of these will be constructed within the next five years. However this will not be done under floodlights and hoopla. Pakistan’s Nuclear deal with the China is like the American Nuclear deal with Israel. The Chinese help to the Pakistanis is like the assistance the US provided to Britain and then to France to help their Nuclear programs. Pakistan is not the proliferator of Nuclear weapons, it takes the brunt of the blame for nonsensical and vindictive blame game.
Military Relations:-
The People's Republic of China enjoys strong defense ties with Pakistan. This relationship between two adjoining Asian countries is important in the world's geo-strategic alliances. The strong defense ties are primarily to counter regional Indian and American influence, and was also to repel Soviet influence in the area. In recent years this relationship has strengthened through ongoing defence projects and agreements between Pakistan and China.
Since 1962, China has been a steady source of military equipment to the Pakistani Army, helping establish munition factories, providing technological assistance and modernizing existing facilities. The countries are involved in the joint venture of several projects to enhance military and weaponry systems, which include collaborating in the development of JF-17 Thunder fighter aircraft, K-8 Karakorum advance training aircraft, space technology, AWACS systems, Al-Khalid tanks and the Babur cruise missile. The armies have a schedule for organising joint military exercises.
China is the largest investor in the Gwadar Deep Sea Port, which is strategically located at the mouth of the Strait of Hormuz. It is viewed warily by both America and India as a possible launchpad for Chinese naval operations in the Indian Ocean. However the Gwadar Port is currently delayed due to a multilateral diplomatic standoff between the project leaders and the Singapore government.
China has offered Pakistan military aid in order to fight against terrorism in Pakistan. Pakistan has purchased military equipment from China in order to bolster their efforts against Islamic militants.
In the past, China has played a major role in the development of Pakistan's nuclear infrastructure, especially when increasingly stringent export controls in Western countries made it difficult for Pakistan to acquire materials and uranium enriching equipment from elsewhere. China has supplied Pakistan with equipment to advance their nuclear weapons program, such as the Chinese help in building the Khushab reactor, which plays a key role in Pakistan's production of plutonium. A subsidiary of the China National Nuclear Corporation contributed in Pakistan's efforts to expand its uranium enrichment capabilities by providing 5,000 custom made ring magnets, which are a key component of the bearings that facilitate the high-speed rotation of centrifuges. China has also provided technical and material support in the completion of the Chashma Nuclear Power Complex and plutonium reprocessing facility, which was built in the mid 1990s. China may also have supplied nuclear technology to the Pakistanis, enabling Pakistan to become a nuclear state with an estimated 100 warheads as of 2011.
Issues: -
East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) (also known as the Turkistan Islamic Movement (TIM) is a Waziri based mujihadeen organization that is said to be allied with the Taliban, which has received funding from rogue elements in the ISI. As these militants are labeled as terrorists from the Chinese province of Xinjiang, Pakistan's inability to prevent this is a potential source of conflict.
The U.S. War On Terror has the Chinese wary of U.S. influence in the region, and as Pakistan is a US ally and major recipient of US military and economic aid, China is obligated to step up its support in order to maintain its influence in the region. As political alliances shift, Pakistan may have allies in the United States and China that may begin to see each other as rivals.
Similarly, the warming of Sino-Indian relations puts Pakistan's traditional alliance with China against India at risk. While the level of cooperation between Pakistan and China is far closer than that of India, it poses a future problem for Pakistan-China relations.
2011 Hotan Attack:-
The 2011 Hotan Attack was a series of coordinated bomb and knife attacks that occurred in Hotan, Xinjiang, People's Republic of China on July 18, 2011. While many had always suspected Pakistani involvement in terrorism in Xinjiang, the 2011 Hotan attack marked the first incident of acknowledgement of this by authorities in China.
Analysis of Pak-US vs Pak-China relations:-
Decision makers in Pakistan are often torn between opting for strategic relations with the US or China: ties with either of the two should be mutually exclusive. However, as Pakistanis wonder whether Pakistan is a US ‘ally’ or ‘target’, China with its quiet unobtrusive help continues to win the hearts and minds of the people of Pakistan. The question here is, why is it that the US continues to pump money, train Pakistani security forces and provide technical support, yet it continues to draw flak? It is worth examining the reason for this dichotomy.
The Pak-US military relations have been like a rollercoaster ride. Historically, no US ally has faced as many sanctions from it as Pakistan. A brief history of the Pak-US military relations indicates that they commenced in 1954/55, with the signing of the SEATO/CENTO pact, after which Pakistan started receiving weapons and training from America. In July 1957, Pakistan permitted the US to establish a secret intelligence facility in the country and for the U-2 spy plane to operate from Badaber, near Peshawar. But when the plane was shot down by the Soviet army and its pilot captured alive on May 1, 1960, it embarrassed the US and brought Soviet ire on Pakistan. Since the Pakistani government was kept in the dark regarding the clandestine US operations, it asked the US to wind up its activities in Pakistan.
During the Indo-China war in 1962, the US supply of defence equipment to India, despite Pakistan’s objections, soured the Pak-US relations. On the contrary, the US did not come to Pakistan’s aid either in the 1965 or the 1971 Indo-Pak wars, despite a pact for mutual defence, forcing Pakistan to denounce its SEATO and CENTO membership. In addition, the Pak-US relations underwent a severe blow with Pakistan’s nuclear tests on May 28, 1998, and the ensuing sanctions. The ouster of then premier Nawaz Sharif in 1999 in a military coup led by General Musharraf gave the US government another reason to invoke fresh sanctions under Section 508 of the Foreign Appropriations Act, which included restrictions on foreign military financing and economic assistance.
Now let us examine Pak-China relations briefly. The relationship between the two countries began in 1950s when Pakistan was among the first countries, and the only Muslim nation, to recognise the People’s Republic of China and tried to build good relations with the newly independent country. Pakistan also helped China become a member of the United Nations and has been instrumental in helping it to maintain relations with the Muslim world. It has also played a leading role in bridging the communication gap between China and the West, through Henry Kissinger’s secret visit in 1971, which became the forerunner of President Nixon’s historic Beijing tour, establishing to the world that China was a lawful entity.
Today, China has come a long way from those turbulent times. It is a factor of stability in the region; is the world’s most populous and industrious nation; the world’s third largest economy and trading nation; has become a global innovator in science and technology; and is building a world class university system. It has an increasingly modern military and commands diplomatic respect. In this period of global economic meltdown, China not only has a stable economy, but it also holds roughly $1.5 trillion in US assets, which is at least 65 percent of China’s total foreign assets, and it is the second biggest foreign holder of US debt after Japan.
Pakistan and China’s joint ventures to produce JF-17 Thunder fighter aircraft, K-8 Trainer aircraft, Al-Khalid Tank and F-22 Naval Frigates have given a new dimension to the cooperation between the two countries in the field of defence. Heavy Rebuild Factory (HRF) at Taxila, Pakistan Aeronautical Complex at Kamra was also established with Chinese assistance. The Karakoram Highway, the strategic port of Gawadar and the Chashma nuclear reactors are a manifestation of China’s sustained interest in Pakistan.
The problem with the Pak-US relationship is mainly because of trust deficit. The US announces a “strategic partnership” amid much fanfare, and admits its past mistakes in dealing with Pakistan; however, at the first hint of trouble, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton threatens Pakistan of “severe consequences”. The drone attacks continue and despite Pakistan’s serious commitment and sacrifices in the war against terrorism, Washington expects it to “do more”. Strategic partnerships are undoubtedly based on sterner foundations.
Compared with the US, look at Pakistan’s partnership with China where billions of dollars worth of projects are launched without fanfare and without insensitively reminding Pakistanis everyday about the “aid” or asking for audit reports. The treatment meted out to Pakistanis, or even Pakistani-origin US citizens, at the US airports leaves a lot to be desired. The Chinese want to help Pakistan in building its infrastructure; have been there at every moment of trial and tribulation; and have never put restrictions on aid, nor levied sanctions on Pakistan. It is, thus, obvious that Pakistan considers China a more reliable and trustworthy ally.
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