By Syed S. Hussain
New York
Pakistan’s enduring relationship with China is one of the success stories of its foreign policy. For more than 50 years this relationship has withstood trials and travails, and has come to be known as an “all-weather relationship”. Now with China on its way to improving its ties with India, will this relationship come under a cloud?
A look at the history of Sino-Pakistan relations makes quite an interesting reading, as to the contradictions under which the ties grew. The two countries had virtually nothing in common. They were ideologically poles apart and there was no affinity of culture, history, language or ethnicity. More strikingly, Pakistan in the early fifties, was well aligned to the West, and a member of SEATO, a military alliance specifically tailored to contain China! So what precisely brought China and Pakistan together?
For, Pakistan it was a matter of survival. With their relations going form bad to worse with India over Kashmir, Pakistan was put in a situation of conflict almost from its very inception. Pakistan initially looked to the West, especially America, to provide the needed security. In the beginning the country was obliged by the US, and became the recipient of both economic and military aid.
However, the US was preoccupied with its cold war worries, and could not meet the specific needs of Pakistan’s security. This was especially true in the context of India, whom the United States did not want to lose completely to Russia. During the 1965 War between India and Pakistan, the United States stopped sale of all military hardware to Pakistan, which showed the vulnerability of its western alignment. With Russia as India’s patron saint, China thus became the only possible choice for an ally.
As regards China’s rationale in befriending Pakistan, there are many reasons. China like Pakistan inherited problems from the very inception in the shape of Kuomintang regime in Taiwan, which was backed by the US. The most populous country in the world was denied admission to the UN. To the West, communist China was an extension of the former Soviet Union, an adversary of the Cold War. The Korean War generated further bitterness between China and the United States.
China’s relations with its ideological ally, the former Soviet Union, deteriorated within a few years of its existence. Conflicting national interests coupled with differing interpretations of Marxism, were the main causes of this split. By the mid-1960’s China and the-then Soviet Union had become openly hostile towards each other. China was thus made vulnerable against both the super powers.
China’s relations with India, which started on a positive note, went cold pretty soon. Both countries were vying for leadership of Asia, and as such considered each other as rivals. But the more tangible reason of hostility was the boundary dispute between both countries, which surfaced after the failure of Tibetan rebellion of March 10, 1959. These territorial claims and counter claims finally resulted in the border conflict between the two countries in 1962.
It was under these geo-political compulsions that China found a window in the shape of Pakistan. The Chinese started identifying with Pakistan’s concerns, and in the process, found reciprocity from Pakistan. A near complete identity of views on the Kashmir question, and total support during the 1965 Indo-Pak War cemented this friendship.
Thereafter, the mutual relationship grew from strength to strength. They signed a border agreement on March 2, 1963. China assisted Pakistan in many economic ventures, especially defense-related projects. The year 1967 saw the launching of a landmark -- Karakoram Highway (KKH), also known as the ‘silk route’, which linked both countries for land trade. This 500-mile project, which opened in 1971, passes over mountains as high as 16,000 feet and has come to be symbolized as not only a feat of engineering, but a symbol of enduring friendship.
Pakistan’s most important contribution came in the shape of opening the way for China to mend its fences with the United States. A flurry of diplomatic efforts, channeled through Pakistan, opened the way of resumption of Sino-US relations in 1971. This resumption quickly translated into admission of China in the United Nations, and then becoming a permanent Security Council member. Pakistan also helped China in improving its ties with Iran.
Hence, over the years this friendship blossomed, much to the amazement of the rest of the world. But this relationship has not been completely free of divergence of opinions. There were many subjects on which both countries differed. It is this aspect, which is becoming an important benchmark, to assess what the future holds for the otherwise robust ties.
On occasions the Chinese have shown their irritation over Pakistan not putting its house in order, more particularly the economic aspects of it, which according to China prompts outside interference in Pakistan. China also appears to be moving towards an increasingly neutral stance with regard to the Kashmir dispute.
But the more serious difference between the two is the perception of both countries with regard to the rise of religious fundamentalism in the region. As a fallout of Russian invasion of Afghanistan, the religious elements both in Afghanistan and Pakistan shot into prominence, bringing along with them religious militancy. This not only had a very serious impact on the politics of Afghanistan and Pakistan, but some of it spilled over to the neighboring Chinese Muslim dominated province of Xinjiang.
Consequently, China did not view the rise of Taliban with the support of Pakistan kindly. Although with the toppling of Taliban this issue seems to have become a back burner one, but the Chinese still remain uneasy about the proliferation of hard-line religious philosophy in this sensitive area. To stem the rising militancy, China has joined the Shanghai group, comprising China, Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Tajikistan, to jointly combat this threat.
China has also been improving its relations with India, which prompts many to think of withering away of the ‘common enemy’ factor of the Sino-Pakistan relationship. China, of course, has made it known that this relationship is in no way at the cost of Pakistan. This in all probability is quite true. Sino-Pakistan relationship has matured into a strategic and mutually beneficial partnership encompassing vast areas of cooperation. There do not appear any serious compulsions for a change in the relationship in the near future.
(Syed S. Hussain is a political analyst, and freelance writer. E-mail: sharafain@ aol.com)