Pakistan: A Growing Friendship with Beijing? (Raaff)

Seb Raaff writes for EA:

Lately, the Pakistani Government has been taking blows from the “West”. With growing distrust of its commitment to the destruction of the Taliban in Afghanistan,and the recent Wikileaks documents suggesting Pakistani intelligence ties with insurgents, Islamabad has found itself out of favour in both London and Washington.

With Beijing, the situation is much different.

Pakistan, an observer of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) since 2005, however, because of concerns from other members, it has been denied full membership as recently as this spring. However, the spate of upsets with the West could have strengthened Pakistan’s links with China and its neighbours. Indeed, after President Asif Ali Zardari’s visit to Beijing on 12 July, relations have appeared to go from good to better.

Dawn reported:

Appreciating Pakistan’s one-China policy, the Chinese leadership assured President Zardari of their continued support to Pakistan at the United Nations and other multilateral forums in its fight against militancy. China has already supported Pakistan’s full membership to the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.

President Asif Ali Zardari was also able to secure a grant of 50 million Yuan (about $7.4 million) for Pakistan’s development, as well as a signed agreement on increased economic cooperation.

This increase in support comes at a time when Beijing is also wooing Pakistan with the promise of two new nuclear reactors despite complaints from Washington. Even though China is a member of the Nuclear Suppliers Group, which prohibits the transfer of nuclear technology to countries --- such as Pakistan --- have not signed the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty, Beijing is pressing ahead with the sale.

As Pakistan faces a humanitarian disaster in one of its most volatile regions with last week’s floods, increasing criticism from the West, and ever-present threats to stability from indigenous terrorism, China’s recent ventures may bring strengthened links with Islamabad, even if this causes tension in Pakistan’s ties with the West.