The visit of Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif to China turned out to be propitious as the Chinese leadership reiterated that “challenges to Pakistan are challenges to China”. General Sharif met various political and military leaders of China, and he discussed issues relating to national security and regional stability. This visit needs to be taken in the larger context of the military development in the region in which Pakistan-China friendship has become all the more important in light of the advancement in military technology that is taking place in India. The development of the nuclear capable K-4 submarine coupled with the testing of the Advanced Air Defence interceptor missile by India threatens to offset the tenuous balance of power in the region. Naturally, Pakistan and China have their concerns regarding these developments, and these concerns would further draw the two states together into a closer alliance.
It goes without saying that Chinese bonhomie towards Pakistan and the resulting ties of friendship are good for the future of both countries. In the realm of national security, the two countries face similar challenges with China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) serving as the unifier between the two. The separatist fires blazing in Balochistan threaten Chinese interests too as Chinese workers brave the danger of terrorist attacks while working there. Moreover, religious extremism is a threat to both Pakistan and China as Uighur terrorists in Xinjiang can draw on the support from militant networks in Pakistan. Hence, Pakistan and China need to work on a joint counterterrorism strategy, and provide support to each other in order to tackle the menace of militancy together.
Indian importance in this web of Pakistan-China alliance stems from the fact that India is an emerging global power, and hence it is directly competing with China for regional influence. Pakistan accuses India of actively sponsoring terrorism in Pakistan so that it could jeopardise the CPEC, and prevent both increasing Chinese influence in the region and development in Pakistan. However, in reality things are much more complicated. While it would be naïve to believe that India does not sponsor subversive activities in Pakistan, nevertheless, the rigid opposing camps of India and China that most people subscribe to possibly do not exist. In fact, things are much more fluid as China and India are resolving their border disputes and increasing bilateral trade, which at present is estimated to be close to 100 billion dollars. Both countries realise that regional peace and stability is necessary for economic development to be main bilateral agenda. Hence, it is counter intuitive to believe that India would go to great lengths to worsen relations with China.
Pakistan needs to show prescience in dealing with this complex mesh of regional power dynamics. While it is true that security concerns are important and Pakistan should raise them at the appropriate forum, however, singular focus on security at the expense of economic issues would not fare well for Pakistan. It is true that the CPEC, if successful, can be a game changer for both Pakistan and China. Hence, Pakistan should use this opportunity to develop strong trade ties with neighbouring countries so that they also could develop an interest in the wellbeing of the country. Amidst the dominance of the securitisation narrative, it must not be forgotten that peace is the greatest guarantee of national security. And Pakistan should play an active part in bringing perpetual peace to the region. http://dailytimes.com.pk/editorial/19-May-16/pakistan-china-friendship
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