FO says no trade-offs on China, US ties

US envoy Donald Lu told US Congress that Washington wants to prevent Islamabad’s “further overreliance” on Beijing

ISLAMABAD:

In a policy statement, the Foreign Office on Thursday made it clear that Pakistan would continue to forge closer ties with China days after a senior Biden administration official told the US Congress that Washington wanted to prevent Islamabad’s “further overreliance” on Beijing.

“Pakistan has said on several occasions that it does not believe in zero-sum relationships. For us, relations with the United States and relations with China are both important,” Mumtaz Zahra Baloch told reporters in Islamabad.

“We do not believe in situations where relationship with one country can be sacrificed on the altar of relations with another. China is an all-weather strategic cooperative partner of Pakistan, and Pakistan will continue to strengthen this relationship going forward,” she explained when asked to comment on the recent statement made by US Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia Donald Lu.

Lu sought $101 million in assistance on behalf of the Biden administration to support democracy, human rights and Pakistan’s efforts to stabilise the economy.

Commenting on Pakistan’s economic relations with China, Lu said the US was seeking to prevent Islamabad’s “further overreliance” on Beijing.

He said Washington’s plan to balance China’s “strong and growing influence” in Pakistan, adding that the US would supersede Chinese investments. “China is the past in terms of investment, we are the future,” he claimed.

The spokesperson said Pakistan took note of the congressional briefing but added that it was an internal matter of the US.

“This is an internal debate between the US Congress and the administration. Pakistan values its close relationship with the United States and believes in constructive engagement. We would like to develop this relationship on the basis of sovereign equality, mutual respect, and non-interference in each other's domestic affairs,” she said.

“We believe that deliberations of legislative bodies should contribute to promoting positive dynamics in bilateral ties and should be based on mutual respect and understanding,” she added.

“We do not comment on the State Department's budgetary requests. Traditionally, such allocations are made for support to civil society in areas of strategic priorities of the United States government,” she further said.

 “Regarding the discussions or negotiations that took place between individuals who were doing a sit-in in Chaman and our authorities, we would advise you to contact the relevant authorities, including the government of Balochistan, for any details of the understandings reached between the protesters and the authorities,” she said.

“However, I would like to underline that one-document regime remains in place, and no foreigner can come to Pakistan without a valid passport and visa,” the spokesperson said.

Baloch confirmed that Aminul Haq, an Al-Qaeda operative, who is on the UN Security Council sanctions list, was arrested by Pakistan law enforcement agencies in March 2024 while crossing into Pakistan from Afghanistan illegally.

“We conveyed this information to the United Nations in March and that is what the report is referring to. The CTD is taking the lead in investigation and prosecution of Haq.”