Pak China Relations – US perspective

The geopolitical scenario in Asia is fast shifting as China emerges as a potential superpower and Pakistan finds itself right in the middle as the US tries to maintain the status quo. The last 3 decades has witnessed the rise of China as it has turned itself from a underdeveloped economy into an economic powerhouse. Pakistan has good relations with both these countries but as it appears that interests of China and US at one point are going to diverge, Pakistan might have to choose sides. Pakistan shares a longstanding friendly relationship with China as China has always been considered an ‘all weather friend’ of Pakistan. The US has always been considered a ‘fair weather friend’ of Pakistan, relations have always reached a peak when the US requires assistance of Pakistan and the US has always bandoned Pakistan once its interests have been met. Pakistan is considered a gateway to the rich oil and gas fields of the Caucasus in Central Asia. As the global race to acquire these rich fossil fuels heat up between US and China, they are trying to pull Pakistan to their side. Overall, Pakistan will have to make a decision as to what country it will want to enter into an alliance with.

Fossil fuels around the world are fast depleting, Caucasus are the only vast untapped energy fields left. A fast growing power such as China needs these fossil fuels to power up her economy. China is now the world’s second largest user of energy and that is why China has invested heavily to acquire fossil fuels from Africa. The US has been blocked in Africa from acquiring any natural resources due to China’s massive investment and increased diplomatic clout; this is why it does not want the last untapped energy fields to go to China. Thus; to slow down China’s growth and gain access to the rich fields of Caucasus, it is slowly trying to encircle China by building military fortifications around China’s territory and increasing diplomatic clout in Central Asia. Pakistan’s important geostrategic location which is a gateway to Central Asia has become important for both China and the US. Pakistan’s geostrategic location will allow China to import fossil fuels through land quickly, cheaply and most importantly securely. To deny China this privilege, the US is trying hard to woo Pakistan to pull it outside the Chinese camp.

There are going to be serious implications for Pakistan as it is going to be in the middle of the future US-China rivalry. Both countries will use both carrot and stick policy to try and woo Pakistan on their side. China has already started this policy of attracting Pakistan to their side of the camp by increasing trade and defense links with Pakistan. China is investing massively in the infrastructure of Pakistan and has started to fulfill the high end defense requirements of Pakistan Armed Forces. The US on the other hand is withdrawing most of its forces from Afghanistan and focusing on taming China’s rise. It is starting to put pressure on Pakistan to move away from China by offering attractive aid packages. The US has expressed concern of Chinese engineers working on several infrastructure projects in Azad Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan. Thus, Pakistan will have to wisely take steps to protect its interests.

Pakistan needs to take pragmatic steps to ensure its interests. It will have to wisely navigate through this precarious time. Pakistan needs to follow a policy where it keeps her interests supreme over everyone else’s. Pakistan needs to follow a Non Aligned Approach where it does not align itself with any power. Pakistan should trade with both China and US. It should welcome investments from both countries and should promote the image of Pakistan as a regional hub for trading. Pakistan must maintain its current relationship with China and should upgrade the development of Gwadar Port. Chinese reliance on the Gwadar Port would make China a very important stakeholder for Pakistan’s stability as Chinese economic interests would be at stake. Pakistan needs to move away from its dependence on American aid and start a new relationship based upon partnership between equals. Pakistan should welcome any investment and trade with the US but needs to draw a redline that violation of Pakistani sovereignty and American interference in Pakistan’s internal affairs would be a breach of partnership. Thus, Pakistan needs to ensure that it does not became a pawn in the ‘New Great Game’ and should continue to maintain good and equitable relationship with both the US and China.

In conclusion, Pakistan’s relations with both China and US are extremely important. Pakistan cannot ignore the fact that the US is a superpower and China is an upcoming superpower. It needs to maintain a balance between both of them and should actively trade with both these countries. Pakistan’s interests should be supreme and it should not sacrifice its own interests to please another country. Pakistan needs to maintain a pragmatic foreign policy that balances its interests with both US and China while contributing to prosperity domestically.