CHINA-PAKISTAN, RELATIONS & REGIONAL STABILITY

China has been Pakistan’s steadfast friend and a partner not only in its legitimate security needs and economic development but also in contributing to regional peace and stability.  Both countries have pursued their friendship with the objective of mutual benefit and never at the cost of their relations with any other country or countries.

They are against hegemony or exploitation, and are committed to regional peace and security. They also share common perceptions on major regional and global issues.

At their bilateral level, mutual support and cooperation, common perceptions and convergence of strategic interests provide a special depth to their relationship. Economic cooperation is indeed the bedrock of this multidimensional relationship. A tradition of regular high-level exchanges and regular governmental contacts helps them keep their relationship strong and enduring with ever-growing cooperation in all areas of mutual interest, including the fields of economy, trade, investment, science and technology, energy, communication infrastructure, education, defence and security.

Another special feature of Pakistan-China friendship is that it is not based on transient interests or expediencies, and is above personalities or any changes in domestic or international situation. What the people of Pakistan admire most about this relationship is that unlike the self-serving conditionality-based aid programmes from other countries, everything that China has done or is doing in this country is people-specific and meant only for their benefit.

The Chinese help has always been selflessly unconditioned involving sacrifices in terms of many Chinese lives.

Even today, thousands of Chinese engineers and workers are engaged under most difficult conditions in building roads, bridges, tunnels, dams, schools, universities and hospitals for the people of Pakistan.

In their external relations, both China and Pakistan are guided by the eternal principles of peaceful co-existence and mutually beneficial cooperation. They do not subscribe to the concepts of unilateralism or pre-emption, and believe in strengthening the UN system to address and resolve all regional and global issues.

At the UN, we have been working together on many issues of common interest, including the question of UN reform. We also have common position on the question of enlargement of the UN Security Council.

Both countries have supported each other in their just causes, which include for  Pakistan a peaceful settlement of the Kashmir issue and preservation of its independence and territorial integrity, and for China the issues of Taiwan, human rights, Tibet and Xinjiang.

The world around us is changing rapidly. Inter-state relations are experiencing new equations. The new India-US nexus involving a long-term strategic, military and nuclear alliance is not without far-reaching implications for the delicate balance of power and stability in our region. Both China and Pakistan are determined to withstand the winds of change with maturity and self-confidence. No doubt, significant global changes in the direction of international politics have proved the permanence of Sino-Pak friendship.

China has always stood by us in our difficult times. Even now when we are facing the worst phase in our relations with the United States, China has expressed its full solidarity with Pakistan. China’s Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi was recently in Pakistan to reassure that “China will continue to firmly support Pakistan in protecting its sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity and dignity.” He said he was in Islamabad to further strengthen China’s strategic partnership with Pakistan. This assurance was no doubt a source of strength for Pakistan.

But we must keep in mind that China always affirms its support for Pakistan’s ‘efforts’ in safeguarding its sovereignty, independence and territorial in tegrity and promoting peace and stability in South Asia but this does not mean that we absolve ourselves completely of our own responsibilities and make no efforts to ensuring our country’s sovereign independence and our people’s socio-economic well-being. China does not fight wars and will fight none for others. Unlike others, China as policy also doesn’t give cash to any country.

In our difficulties at home or abroad, therefore, we should not expect China to come and rescue us from the waters we have muddied ourselves. It is not China’s fault if we cannot manage our relations with the United States. If we claim we took a ‘principled’ stand on the NATO supply routes, President Zardari didn’t have to go to NATO’s Chicago Summit to get publicly humiliated. We should own decisions that we claim we took in our national interest. We should not expect others to come and manage our diplomatic faux pas. Let’s not embarrass our friends.

Regarding its differences or disputes with some of its neighbours, China’s policy is that they should be ‘appropriately managed and resolved through dialogue and consultation based on realities and in accordance with the basic norms governing international relations.’ No wonder, it has peacefully addressed its border issues with Russia and is engaged in creating a friendly neighbourhood with other adjacent countries. Guided by its long-term politico-economic interests, China has been following pragmatic policies in seeking improvement of its relations with the US and other advanced countries as well as with India.

Yes, China has its own regional and global concerns and is not oblivious of the challenges resulting from the US-led new unipolarity. In recent years, there has been a conspicuous development of closeness between China and Russia in reaction to what they perceive as growing the US strategic outreach. They also share common interest in curbing Washington’s influence in strategically important and resource-rich Central Asia. This year’s Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit in Beijing gave a clear signal to this effect.

In the context of Afghanistan, China like us would want early restoration of peace in that war-ravaged country free of foreign influence or domination. But China also has serious apprehensions over what it sees the forces of extremism, terrorism and separatism emanating from this region as a conduit of destabilisation in its eastern region of Xinjiang. In fact, the establishment of SCO in the ’90s was meant to forestall these very forces.

In any case, given their common concerns and shared interests in the fast-changing scenario, both China and Pakistan will have to explore new avenues of reinforcing their long-standing strategic relationship through further expansion in their multi-dimensional bilateral collaboration, including in areas of defence equipment, high-tech heavy industry and energy sector as well as in developing communication and energy infrastructure.

With impending the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, Pakistan could play an important role in bringing ECO and SCO together in terms of closer inter-regional cooperation between the two organisations, which have a tremendous overlap in terms of huge combined economic potential which if exploited properly through innovative national and regional strategies, could transform this part of Asia into an economic powerhouse besides making it a major factor of regional and global stability.

In fact, SCO could greatly benefit from the enormous work already done under the auspices of ECO in the form of three action plans, namely, the Quetta Plan of Action, the Istanbul Declaration, and the Almaty Outline Plan on Transport and Communications accomplished during early 90s when I was privileged to be its Secretary General.