Pakistan PM Sharif Meets Chinese President Xi; Both Agree to Strengthen All-Weather Ties

What’s in today’s article:

• Growing ties between Pakistan and China – About, concerns for India
• News Summary

Why in news?

• Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is on a two-day official visit to China. He is the first foreign leader to visit China since President Xi Jinping won a third term in office.

Growing ties between Pakistan and China

• Over the years, Beijing has expanded its footprint in Pakistan. Perhaps in no other country in South Asia has Beijing expanded its footprint more than in Pakistan.
• The latest example of this was the Pakistan Day Parade in Islamabad in late March 2022, which saw the country’s military display several recently acquired military platforms from China.
  • Eg. J-10CE multirole fighter aircraft, battle tanks, self-propelled howitzers and air-defense equipment.
  • China’s supply of advanced military equipment to Pakistan — also including warships and submarines.
• Just how close Sino-Pakistani ties have become can be seen in a 33-point document issued by the two countries in February 2022.
  • Through this document, the two sides emphasized their support for each other’s core interests.

Concerns for India

• The growing Sino-Pakistani cooperation has set off alarm bells in New Delhi, especially as Chinese arms and money continue to flow into Pakistan.
• The Indian military, which is preparing for a potential two-front war with China and Pakistan, is also concerned about the possibility of the China establishing a more robust logistics and basing infrastructure in the region.
• The ‘central pillar’ of the relationship between the two countries is the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
  • CPEC is a series of long-term infrastructure, transportation, and energy projects valued at $62 billion as of 2020.
  • CPEC is opposed by India as this project is not only passing through India’s territory but also posing a threat to the sovereignty of India.
• China continues to support Pakistan against India at the UN Security Council (as seen in the repeated blocks by Beijing on joint India-US proposals to designate two Lashkar-e-Taiba operatives).

‹ ›

News Summary

• On his maiden visit to Beijing, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif held talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Key highlights

• During this visit, the two leaders agreed to strengthen the all-weather friendship and the USD 60 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
• Chinese President told the visiting Pakistani Prime Minister that he was deeply concerned about the security of Chinese personnel working on projects in the country.
  • This follows a number of attacks on Chinese nationals in the country.
  • In April 2022, three Chinese were killed following a suicide attack near a Confucius Institute in Karachi.
• China also stressed Pakistan was a priority in China’s neighbourhood diplomacy.
• China offered an additional $68 million in flood relief.

Significance of this visit

• All-weather friendship with China
  • Beijing has placed Pakistan in a priority in its neighbourhood diplomacy. On the other hand, Pakistan considers China as its Iron Brother.
• Delicate balancing act
  • Pakistan faces the challenge of balancing between its close ties with China and its longstanding partnership with the US.
    • The Biden Administration has named China as its biggest challenge after Russia in its national security strategy.
  • Pakistan does not want to become part of any anti-China coalition.
• Financial needs and the CPEC tangle
  • At the bilateral level, Pakistan is looking to China for economic help.
    • Currently, Pakistan is facing the economic crisis.
    • The IMF had released $ 1.1 billion to Pakistan in August, helping it avoid a debt repayment default.
  • The CPEC has struggled to move beyond the $25-bn mark (CPEC is a $ 67-bn project). It is due to:
    • China’s own economic troubles are one part of the problem, and
    • Pakistan’s reluctance or inability to invest as Beijing wants it to.
  • Current Pakistani govt ran a forensic audit of CPEC and found that only three out of 15 projects in Gwadar, valued a little over $300 million, were completed.