75 years of ironclad friendship
Timed with the 75th anniversary of bilateral ties, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's ongoing tour of China has reinforced the deep strategic and economic alignment between Islamabad and Beijing. While Beijing is always going to be the bigger partner, Shehbaz's meetings with all of China's top leaders – including President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Li Qiang – and agreements in several critical areas speak of Islamabad's importance in the relationship. Some of the deals reached include agreements relating to agriculture, education, media cooperation and trade, reflecting the widening scope of the bilateral engagement beyond the traditional framework of infrastructure and defence ties. Pakistani officials also projected the tour as a shot in the arm for CPEC and for potentially attracting fresh investment at a time when Pakistan - like most of the world - has come under severe economic instability and fiscal pressure due to the US-Israeli misadventure in Iran.
Chinese President Xi Jinping also made clear that Beijing supports and appreciates Islamabad's role in seeking to resolve the Iran war, which has ravaged the global economy. The statement - and similar praise from PM Shehbaz - demonstrate the fact that despite the shifting geopolitical sands, Pakistan and China remain on the same page. In a broader sense, it is also worth noting that China's 'stamp of approval' for Islamabad's role in facilitating US-Iran talks is confirmation that both warring parties trust Pakistan. Not only is China also Iran's most important ally and its biggest trading partner, but is one of the only countries in the world that can't be bullied by the US, and its endorsement could prove critical to ensuring the US respects any future peace deal. It also reasserts Pakistan's importance in world affairs, as the country is proving its mettle in walking the fine line required to maintain healthy relationships with all of the world's power centres.
Meanwhile, the joint statement issued after wide-ranging interactions and engagements between the two sides is reflective of a "new broad consensus on further deepening the All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership and on international and regional issues of mutual interest". That the two sides decided to "move faster to build an even closer China-Pakistan Community with a Shared Future in the New Era" shows a mutual commitment to safeguarding shared core interests and regional stability. Coming in complete reciprocity is PM Shehbaz's express support for President Xi's "vision of building a Community with a Shared Future for Humanity and the Global Development Initiative (GDI), the Global Security Initiative (GSI), the Global Civilization Initiative (GCI), and the Global Governance Initiative (GGI)".
On diplomatic front, Islamabad's "strong commitment to the one-China principle" with Taiwan being "an inalienable part of the territory of the People's Republic of China" and Beijing's insistence on "peacefully resolving" the Kashmir dispute "in accordance with the U.N. Charter, relevant U.N. Security Council resolutions and bilateral agreements" as well as its readiness for "trans-boundary water resources cooperation under the principle of equality and mutual benefit" illustrate that the strategic alliance between the two sides is based on a strict framework of mutual diplomatic reciprocity. Moreover, their agreement to stay in close coordination on Afghanistan and prohibit any individual, group or party like TTP, ETIM, etc from using their territories for spreading unrest highlights a unified front against cross-border militancy in pursuit of regional peace and security.
No wonder, 75 years and counting!