A postponed visit
The Chinese deferment sends a powerful message to the Nawaz government. We hope it is received and understood.
Pakistan is a country that needs all the friends it can get, and it has precious few friends that have been there through thick and thin, but China is undoubtedly one of them and perhaps the most important. Without China there would be no Gwadar port, and no upgrading of the Karakoram highway to an all-weather link. Without China the proposal for a north-eastern trade corridor would never have seen the light of day — and the list goes on. China is a close ally in every conceivable way, from the joint development of military hardware to huge infrastructure projects. This is not mere philanthropy on the part of the Chinese; they are investing in Pakistan in order to benefit their own economy and it is in the best interests of Pakistan to maintain the warmest of relations with our powerful neighbour and benefactor.
It is thus with concern that we note the postponement of a visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping scheduled for mid September, a development announced by Adviser to the Prime Minister on National Security and Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz. Before the president of any state visits another there are months of preparation, and in these dangerous days there is a visit by a team of security specialists to the host state. Their job is to make a risk analysis — is it safe for their president to visit the country of choice. In this instance the Chinese security team refused to give a security clearance on the grounds that there was political instability centred on the ongoing protests in Islamabad against the sitting government. Sartaj Aziz said that the postponement may cause “irreparable harm” and that every effort was being made to get the visit rescheduled. Mr Aziz may be overstating the case somewhat as the Chinese are not just going to walk away from a key strategic partnership, but there is truth in his words. The protests have already cost the country billions of rupees and undermined foreign confidence. The longer they continue the greater the cumulative damage. The Chinese deferment sends a powerful message to the Nawaz government. We hope it is received and understood.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 7th, 2014.
It is thus with concern that we note the postponement of a visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping scheduled for mid September, a development announced by Adviser to the Prime Minister on National Security and Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz. Before the president of any state visits another there are months of preparation, and in these dangerous days there is a visit by a team of security specialists to the host state. Their job is to make a risk analysis — is it safe for their president to visit the country of choice. In this instance the Chinese security team refused to give a security clearance on the grounds that there was political instability centred on the ongoing protests in Islamabad against the sitting government. Sartaj Aziz said that the postponement may cause “irreparable harm” and that every effort was being made to get the visit rescheduled. Mr Aziz may be overstating the case somewhat as the Chinese are not just going to walk away from a key strategic partnership, but there is truth in his words. The protests have already cost the country billions of rupees and undermined foreign confidence. The longer they continue the greater the cumulative damage. The Chinese deferment sends a powerful message to the Nawaz government. We hope it is received and understood.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 7th, 2014.