Editorial

The Chinese muscles

Pakistan’s friendship with China, nonetheless, is not at the cost of others

April 29, 2023

Pakistan and China are making a leap forward in cementing their strategic partnership. The visit of Chief of Army Staff Gen Asim Munir on the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping has consolidated the impression that there is much to do in their bilateralism, other than economic orientation. The desire on the part of Beijing to strike a renewed nexus of defence cooperation, and the eagerness by Islamabad to refurbish its arsenal, makes it a get-going indispensable interaction. Of late, Pakistan is the recipient of J-10 fighter jets, in addition to many more such collaborations in beefing up its security gadgets. This cooperation, however, is not meant for war-mongering, as is the case with many other countries’ defence understanding, but to buckle up a regime of peace and security in the region and beyond.

Zhang Youxia, the Vice-Chairman of Chinese Central Military Commission, and the Pakistani commanders reportedly discussed threadbare the emerging realities, and agreed to signpost their priorities in the new milieu. While both the countries share a similar paradigm of peace and coexistence, Islamabad’s inching towards Beijing works out as a deterrent against extra-regional fissures. It also sends down a strong message that Pakistan is not unaware of interference in the region on the part of QUAD and Indian designs to further its hegemony. This is why both sides agreed to enhance their training, technology and counterterrorism cooperation at tri-service level, making military diplomacy a cornerstone of their foreign policy.

Pakistan’s friendship with China, nonetheless, is not at the cost of others. This is why Islamabad shuns camp politics, and is eager to strike a chord of congeniality and cooperation with the US, too. With Washington, Pakistan enjoys a special nexus on counter-terrorism. The ground realities in Afghanistan call for a superb trilateral cooperation, and Pakistan has a role to play. The strategic lifeline economic interaction between Pakistan and China over $60 billion CPEC, and the reinvigorated rubbing of shoulders in defence makes it an impregnable relationship.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 29^th, 2023.

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COMMENTS (2)

Mullah | 1 year ago | Reply How many billion dollars does Pakistan has to pay back to china Probably Pakistan has to surrender ports and other infrastructures to China like Srilanka as Pakistan is bankrupt to pay back any amount.

test | 1 year ago | Reply China is our best ally. Both China Pakistan enjoy unbreakable brotherhood. Pakistan was is and will always stand with China no matter what. Pakistan s brotherhood with China must be at the cost of west which include both united states and europe. 1-Japanese has been selling cars to Pakistan for so many decades but they still don t have a single manufacturing facility in Pakistan not even a single manufacturing facility 2-US and Europe has been selling products to Pakistan for so many decades but they still don t have a single manufacturing facility in Pakistan not even a single manufacturing facility. 3-The only manufacturing facilities you will see in Pakistan are the Chinese ones that s why China will always come to our rescue not from financial point of view but from industrial point of view because dollars are for the elite class while industry is for the poor class. China is the only country in the world which will move its factories to Pakistan to give millions of jobs to massive unemployed people in Pakistan. I am done with west and now everything we are doing is to make China understand that we will always support China no matter what. We will give air bases military bases naval bases and drone bases to China in return for relocation of Chinese industries to the Special Economic Zones of Pakistan and we will also give our satellite slot to China for 24 7 satellite monitoring and surveillance purposes. And we will protect China Pakistan brotherhood at all costs. Long Live China Pakistan brotherhood. Long Live Industry. Long Live Hope.

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