China is not known to play coy. It has always been clear about its global ambitions, which started off slowly and steadily in its own near backyard. In direct contrast to the Washington doctrine – Beijing has been happy to invest economically while asking no awkward questions on human rights. This transactional approach underscores what the Chinese have long referred to as their brand of Communism coming complete ‘with Chinese characteristics’, a term coined during the Jiang Zemin era.
That being said, China is understandably playing its cards close to its chest when it comes to the recent Pentagon musings on a possible second foreign military base. Beijing has slammed these as irresponsible. Though, significantly, Pakistan has been identified as the probable location.
Despite nothing being confirmed at this stage – the supposition does make sense. China has poured some $52million into the much-touted Chinese Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). Then there is its Road and Belt Initiative, which passes through the badlands of the Af-Pak region and brings with it a projected $900billion-price tag. Beijing has offered to get the cash ball rolling with a promised ‘down payment’ of $125 million.
What might be the function of this as yet hypothetical military base?
Security, in a word. Already the Pakistan Army has deployed around 15,000 troops to safeguard the Corridor against the militant threat. A naval contingent is in place to defend Gwadar Port. This despite the military establishment’s recent assurances of robbing ISIS of a foothold in Balochistan. Then comes the small matter of Beijing striving to offset the US security hegemony in the region. This undoubtedly has quiet Pakistani backing. Indeed, isn’t this what Washington wanted all along? When it rapped China’s knuckles for failing to adopt a multilateral approach to security, most notably in Afghanistan. Back then Beijing came under fire for paying ‘protection money’ to the Taliban so that the latter wouldn’t blow up Chinese infrastructure in that country.
Afghanistan could have reasonable cause for concern, given the dysfunctional state of the bilateral relationship with Islamabad. Yet this would be unfounded, especially given the fact that the US has long been eyeing keeping more than a large handful of permanent bases there post-combat operations. And then there are the long reported rumours of US designs that would see it establish four or five more bases but across this side of the border. Namely in the Turbat area of Balochistan. In fact the entire province, providing one of the primary NATO supply routes, has somehow found itself at the very centre of the latest round of Great Gaming. We will have to wait and see whether Beijing issues Islamabad with a ‘rules of engagement’ list, as did the US and which reportedly included allowing American troops freedom of movement within Pakistan’s borders.
Nevertheless, it seems that for once Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif managed not to misspeak when likening the vast Chinese investment in the region to standing “on the cusp of a geo-economic revolution”. Let us hope that he is proved right in the long-term. And that the possible presence of a Chinese military base does not represent the prop of the coloniser, for whom all returns are to be firmly pocketed before being sent back home. And biryani be damned.http://dailytimes.com.pk/editorial/10-Jun-17/chinese-whispers
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